


Spindycar: A Peanuts and Motorsport Fanfic

by StereoChromatic



Category: Peanuts
Genre: Don't question it, Gen, Intrigue, Motorsports are Dangerous, Mystery, Racing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 64,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23533672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StereoChromatic/pseuds/StereoChromatic
Summary: Charlie Brown and friends are invited to compete in a brand new All-American racing series. All is fair in Fun and Friendly Competition. but What is really going on? Why have they, specifically, been chosen to race?NOTE: I wasn't confident in this at first, but I put it on Fanfiction.net and the people there seem to like it, so i'm putting it here too.
Kudos: 2





	1. Testing and Race 1: Delaware

Valentine’s Day 2018 was no ordinary day for Charlie Brown. He, and a select few of his friends and associates, had been invited, against all odds, to be part of an all new spec racing series, touring America to crown the best in Racing. With the prospect of no school, and an opportunity to participate in something that could change their lives, it was no surprise that all the invites were accepted. Teams were quickly assigned, and Charlie Brown and friends were ready for the test session on the 21st. 

20th February 2018 - The Roster

Charlie Brown had signed for the Renault Team, one of Five Works Manufacturers in the Series. Joining him at Renault is Rerun Van Pelt, Brother of Linus and Lucy Van Pelt. The Renault has a Yellow and Black Livery.

Linus signed for Scuderia Vittoria, the only Italian marque, a company which styles itself after Ferrari but is nowhere near as well polished. Alongside him is Pierre Fermier, whom Linus has met once before, on a French exchange trip. The Vittoria has a Red, Blue and Black livery.

Franklin Armstrong’s family created their own Team, Armstrong Racing. Racing for the team are Franklin and his long-time friend, Pig Pen. The car has a Maroon, Blue and Brown Livery.

Marcie Signed for Orange Team Cherokee, Chrysler’s Works Team. Her team mate is Fivefivefive Ninefivefourseventwo, Better Known as Five. The Car has an Orange livery, thanks to sponsorship from Orange, a major French telecom company. 

Violette Honfleur, Heiress to the Baronetcy of Malvoisine, chose to race with ACE Racing Company, a branch of ACE Inc., a Minnesota based Local Conglomerate. Her team mate is Patty Swanson, not to be confused with Peppermint Patty. The car has a white, pink and black livery.

Schroeder, in keeping with his obsession with Beethoven joined Bonn Auto Motor, a German engineering company running a racing team using Opel engines. Alongside him is Frieda Rich, an admirer of him, but not to the same extent as Lucy.

Peppermint Patty joined the Earth Power Honda Team, a works marque still licking its wounds from its last adventure in F1 over 10 years before. Joining her is Lucy Van Pelt, eldest of the Van Pelt siblings. The car has a green, blue and black livery.

Sally Brown chose to join Polestar Innovate Inc. an independent racing team recently picked up by Volvo’s racing division after a copyright dispute. Alongside her is good friend Eudora Elm. The car has a Sky blue, Pink, and blue livery.

Violet Gray opted to race for Taiwanese outfit Zontec Motorsport, with sponsorship from Acer, with her teammate being Shermy Plepler. The car enjoys a lime green, green and white livery.

Team Sky, in an act of notoriety among the members of the paddock, have signed local cementheads Joe Agate and Thibault Rhodes. Their car also has a black and red livery, and has attracted sponsorship from a number of controversial businesses, such as Monsanto, ExxonMobil, and Take-Two Interactive.

Little known German manufacturer Isdera have their own entry into this series. Driving for the team is accomplished singer Harold Angel, and also Morag McMurdo, who keeps her real surname a secret, and is uniquely suspicious of the sport and is governing body, the All American Motorsport Federation. The car has a grey and blue livery. 

Toyota have been sick of losing every discipline they enter, so they have opted to enter under the Daihatsu name. They have Mexican-Swedish sportsman José Peterson and Irishman Cormac O’Connor as drivers. Their livery is red and white. 

Of the Drivers entered, only Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty have any prior motor racing experience, although Linus van Pelt and Franklin have experience as pit crew.

21st February

Each of the individual teams held private tests at race tracks close to where they were based. As this was a spec series, there was little to do, besides getting the drivers accustomed to their vehicles and valuable track time for which to monitor data such as tyre degradation, fuel usage, and overall downforce. 

Charlie Brown and Rerun had been flown by Renault to the Circuit Nevers-Magny Cours, where the two traded lap times. They both managed not to crash, which impressed the Renault team, as the circuit was not that easy to drive on.

Linus boarded a flight to Florence in order to get to Mugello, where the Scuderia Vittoria is based. Pierre took a series of trains and buses to get there from his home in Northern France. On the Mugello circuit, both drivers impressed the team. 

Armstrong racing are local to Minnesota, so they have been testing at the closest circuit to them, Elko Speedway. Elko Speedway was not the most ideal place to test, given that it’s a 3/8 mile oval, with not much opportunity to get the car up to speed. Franklin and Pigpen struggled for grip at low downforce in the turns and span a couple of times into the infield. Not helping was the fact that Ace Racing Company were testing here too with their drivers, Violette and Patty. Eventually the two teams helped each other out by practicing race craft and close quarters etiquette.

Marcie and Five took a road trip to Waterford Hills Road Racing Track, Michigan, in order to test with Orange Team Cherokee. The circuit was challenging, with long, fast, sweeping corners. Overall the team were satisfied with how the two drivers had performed. 

Schroeder and Frieda were flown to Germany to test with Bonn Auto Motor. By Chance, the closest track they could test was at the legendary Nurburgring. The Team sent them around the GP-Strecke for a few laps, before treating them to a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Peppermint Patty and Lucy were flown to Oyama to test at the Twin Ring Motegi racetrack. The two got a good taste of the top speed of the cars on the long straights and Peppermint Patty was confident about her championship chances. 

Polestar Innovate Inc. flew Sally Brown and Eudora to test at the Anderstorp racetrack in Sweden. It was bitterly cold that day, and Sally Brown and Eudora enjoyed the warmth the car generated. Both the drivers spun on cold tires, but after that, the cars and drivers improved, setting faster times throughout the day.

Acer Zontec Motorsports flew out Violet Gray and Shermy Plepler to Taiwan to test at the Penbay International Circuit. Violet and Shermy quickly got used to the car and were setting consistent lap times.

Team Sky chose to test at Snetterton, sending a private jet for Thibault and Joe Agate to take part. Joe Agate took time to get up to speed, whilst only 5 laps into his run, Thibault properly binned it into the wall at Riches. Thibault was unhurt, but the car was quite damaged and wouldn’t be running for the rest of the day.

Morag flew to Oschersleben from her home in Scotland, whilst Harold Angel flew from the US. Isdera sent them out onto the track, where they quickly set representative lap times.  
José Peterson and Cormac were sent to the Suzuka Circuit to test their cars for Daihatsu. José was positive about how good the car felt to drive, particularly through 130R.

From an outside perspective, it is difficult to glean how fast everyone is before the season actually starts.

Sunday 25th February- The Calendar

The Sunday after testing, the Calendar was released, showing a 26 race season, starting in March and finishing on the 2nd December. The Calendar is as follows…

Round 1- Delaware- Dover International Speedway- 4th March (O)

Round 2- Connecticut- Lime Rock Park 11th March (R) 

Round 3- New Hampshire- New Hampshire Motor Speedway- 18th March (O)

Round 4- New York- Watkins Glen- 1st April (R)

Round 5- Michigan- Michigan Int. Speedway- 8th April (O) 

Round 6- Wisconsin- Road America - 22nd April (R)

Round 7- South Dakota- Sioux Falls Regional Airport Circuit - 29th April (S)

Round 8- Colorado- Pikes Peak Int. Raceway - 13th May (O)

Round 9 - Idaho- Pocatello Street Circuit - 27th May (S)

Round 10- Nevada- Las Vegas Motor Speedway – 3rd June (O)

Round 11- New Mexico- Santa Fe Airport Circuit- 17th June (S)

Round 12- Kansas- Kansas Speedway – 1st July (O)

Round 13- Illinois- Gateway Motorsports Park – 8th July (O)

Round 14- Indiana- Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 15th July (O)

Round 15- Missouri – St Louis Street Circuit – 29th July (S)

Round 16- Kentucky – Kentucky Speedway - 5th August (O)

Round 17- North Carolina- Charlotte Motor Speedway- 2nd September (O)

Round 18- Georgia- Road Atlanta- 9th September (R)

Round 19- Florida- Sebring - 23rd September (R)

Round 20- South Carolina- Darlington Raceway - 30th September (O)

Round 21- Tennessee- Nashville Superspeedway - 14st October (O)

Round 22- Alabama – Talladega Superspeedway – 21st October (O)

Round 23- Texas- COTA, Austin - 4th November (R)

Round 24- Arizona- ISM Raceway, Phoenix 18th November (O) 

Round 25- California- Laguna Seca- 25th November (R)

Round 26- Hawaii- Honolulu Street Circuit- 2nd December (S) 

Saturday 3rd March

After the calendar was released the week before, the teams quickly headed off to Dover, Delaware for the 1st race at Dover International Speedway. The 1 mile oval course provided a taste of speed for many in practice and qualifying was getting underway. According to the Rule book, each car has 1 out lap and 2 flying laps, the best of which is submitted as their qualifying lap. Out first was Violette Honfleur who set a 0:26.999 as her best time. That time was immediately beaten by Cormac in the Daihatsu, who set a 0:26.614. Out next was Harold Angel, who set a 0:26.822. Rerun then set a 0:26.624, slotting himself into 2nd Place. Shermy then set a 0:28.891 putting him in 4th. Lucy then posted a 0:26.652 to go 3rd. Joe Agate then posted a 0:27.614 to go slowest, a whole second off the pace. Charlie Brown brushed the wall on his first flying lap, which caused him to set a time of 0:27.268. Schroeder then set a 0:26.651, which put him just ahead of Lucy. Peppermint Patty then silenced the competition with a 0:26.553, a good ½ a tenth faster than anyone. Eudora cut the track on the inside for both her flying laps, which led to her outlap being posted as the final time, putting her in last place. Linus also brushed the wall, setting a 0:27.070. Pierre was being absent minded, hitting the wall on both his laps, being forced to use his opening lap of 0:33.132, putting him at the back of the grid. Patty Swanson then set a time of 0:26.583, putting her 2nd. Frieda then set a 0:27.459. Sally then set a decent time of 0:26.706. Five tapped the wall, which made him set a 0:27.182. Morag then took a surprise second place with a 0:26.560. Thibault set a 0:27.313 after slapping the wall on lap 2. Violet set a 0:27.207, whilst José Peterson went 3rd with a 0:26.578. Pig Pen set a 0:26.703, but Franklin brushed the wall on both his laps, being forced to use his out lap of 0:32.262. At the end of the day, the grid order looked like this.

1st Patricia Reichardt [Earth Power Honda] 0:26.553 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.560

3rd Jose Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:26.578 4th Patricia Swanson [ACE Racing Co.] 0:26.583

5th Cormac O’Connor [Daihatsu] 0:26.614 6th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.624

7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:26.651 8th Lucy Van Pelt [Earth Power Honda] 0:26.652

9th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:26.685 10th Pig Pen [Armstrong Racing] 0:26.703

11th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:26.706 12th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.822

13th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.891 14th Violette Honfleur [ACE Racing Co.] 0:26.999

15th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:27.070 16th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:27.182

17th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:27.207 18th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:27.268

19th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:27.313 20th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:27.459

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 0:27.614 22nd Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong Racing] 0:32.262

23rd Eudora Elm 0:32.436 24th Pierre Fermier [Scuderia Vittoria] 0:33.132

Post Qualifying, the top three were all interviewed. “So, how do you feel now you’re on pole position?”

Peppermint Patty: “Well, I’m feeling quite happy right now, I feel like I can win this race tomorrow, and we can get the championship off to a good start.” 

Interviewer: Morag, you were 7 thousandths of a second off of pole position, do you think you could have got pole today?

Morag: I could have, but at the end of the day that makes me 8m behind her, and on a track like this, that distance is not going to matter. I look forward to giving you a good race. (glances at Peppermint Patty)

Interviewer: “José, sitting in 3rd place, you’re the highest of the men. Do you feel bad about this?” (Morag and Peppermint Patty glare at the reporter)

José: “Absolutely not. This sport is a level playing field where the best driver wins, so I’m not too fussed who beats me. Of course I would like to win, but if somebody else wins, I will have to try harder next race.”

Charlie Brown was also interviewed. “So Charlie Brown, P18, did you struggle out there today?”

Charlie Brown: “Yeah, I guess. I hit the wall a bit on one of the laps, which hurt my time. I need to have a good start tomorrow.” Charlie Brown then walked back into his garage.

Sunday 4th March- Race Day in Delaware

The Cars were lined up on the long straight, ready to race. Charlie Brown sat in his car anxiously as the crowds of people started to peel off of the circuit. The announcer’s voice was heard all around.

Announcer: “Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!”

Charlie Brown did so, as did Peppermint Patty, and everyone else.

Announcer: As the pace car leads the racers on before the start of the race, you guys out there will know that these drivers face 100 gruelling laps in which they will have to fight over 1st place. And as the cars head toward the start line, the Delaware Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!”

Peppermint Patty led going into the first turn, with Lucy overtaking Schroeder, causing a number of positions behind her to change. At the end of the first lap, Charlie Brown had made his way up to 15th whilst Linus had fallen back to 17th. Morag took the lead going into turn 1 on lap 2, but Thibault and Pierre collided, sending Pierre spinning into the wall, ending his race. Pierre was unhurt, if a bit shaken. The race carried on quietly, until lap 13, when Thibault hit Violet from behind, sending both of them spinning, and out of the race. Peppermint Patty retook the lead at around lap 20 and the positions going into lap 25 looked like this…

1st Patricia Reichardt, 2nd Morag McMurdo, 3rd José Peterson, 4th Patricia Swanson, 5th Rerun Van Pelt, 6th Cormac O’Connor, 7th Lucy Van Pelt, 8th Pig Pen, 9th Schroeder E. Schroeder, 10th Harold Angel, 11th Sally Brown, 12th Marcie Johnson, 13th 555 95472, 14th Violette Honfleur, 15th Charlie Brown, 16th Shermy Plepler, 17th Linus Van Pelt, 18th Frieda Rich, 19th Eudora Elm, 20th Franklin Armstrong, 21st Joe Agate, (Ret) Thibault Rhodes, (Ret) Violet Gray, (Ret) Pierre Fermier.

By lap 37, Eudora had made her way up into 18th, just as Joe Agate spun off into the infield, ending his race when his right rear tyre was planted into the wall. At around lap 47, Cormac tapped Rerun at the last corner. This made Cormac’s car wobble a bit, which allowed Lucy to pass him. Two laps later, Patty Swanson ran wide at turn 1, which lost her a few positions. At the halfway point, the positions were as follows…

1st Patricia Reichardt, 2nd Morag McMurdo, 3rd José Peterson, 4th Rerun Van Pelt, 5th Lucy Van Pelt, 6th Pig Pen, 7th Patricia Swanson, 8th Cormac O’Connor, 9th Schroeder E. Schroeder, 10th Sally Brown, 11th Marcie Johnson, 12th Harold Angel, 13th Charlie Brown, 14th Linus Van Pelt, 15th 555 95472, 16th Violette Honfleur, 17th Eudora Elm, 18th Shermy Plepler, 19th Frieda Rich, 20th Franklin Armstrong.

On lap 63 Five’s car had an engine failure, forcing him out of the race. On lap 74, Morag overtook Peppermint Patty to retake the lead. By lap 75, Sally had jumped to 7th, while Patty Swanson and Schroederdropped to 9th and 10th. Harold Angel dropped to 14th whilst Franklin muscled his way into 17th, and Shermy dropped to 19th.

Morag and Peppermint Patty scuffled for the lead on Lap 87, before Peppermint Patty retook the lead on lap 99, on lap 100 all the cars were about to finish.

Announcer: “And Patricia Reichardt wins in Delaware!” “Morag McMurdo is 2nd, José Peterson finished in 3rd, Rerun Van Pelt finished 4th, with Lucy Van Pelt in 5th, Pig Pen in 6th, and Sally Brown in 7th. Patty Swanson was 8th, followed by Schroeder E. Schroeder in 9th, and Cormac O’Connor in 10th. Marcie Johnson was 11th, with Charlie Brown in 12th and Linus Van Pelt in 13th. Eudora Elm was 14th, with Violette Honfleur in 15th and Harold Angel in 16th. Franklin Armstrong was 17th, with Frieda Rich in 18th, and finally, Shermy Plepler in 19th.” 

Peppermint Patty parked her car on Victory Road and walked up to the podium. In the waiting room, Peppermint Patty greeted her competitors, Morag and José, before walking out onto the podium. Everyone stood still and silent whilst the American anthem played and the flags of the USA, the UK, and Mexico unfurled. The Japanese anthem played after the American one finished. After that, the competitors drank their milk and went off to the pressroom. 

In the pressroom, the reporters had lots of questions.

I: “Peppermint Patty, you won the race, you’re leading the championship, I guess your team is feeling really proud of you.”

Peppermint Patty: Yeah. I haven’t congratulated with my team yet, but I’m feeling pretty happy right now. I look forward to try keeping that lead next week in Connecticut (glances at Morag). 

I: “Morag, you led for 43 laps, do you regret not holding the lead for two more laps?”

Morag: It’s a shame that I didn’t win, but I gave Peppermint Patty a good race, like I said I would, and I still have 28 more races where I can win.

I: “José, you stayed in 3rd the whole race. Did you not think to try overtaking at any point?

Jose: Part of me was hoping someone would make a mistake, but equally, if I tried a banzai move on either of these two, I could have taken all of us out. If I had a realistic chance of overtaking someone I would have, but I didn’t.

The drivers went back to their hotel at the end of the day, and they went all went to sleep, ready for the next morning.


	2. Race 2: Connecticut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown and the gang move on to the next race, and begin to ask questions.

Monday 5th March 

In the morning, many of the teams and drivers set about trying to get to Lime Rock Park, CT. Franklin’s Mom and Dad picked up Franklin and Pig Pen once they were up and ready, and drove there by car, arriving there by 2:30pm. They were the first to arrive, and they watched cars driving round it, whilst Franklin and Pig Pen studied the track, its corners and what to do about them. The Top 10 Party bus left at noon, with Peppermint Patty, Morag, José Peterson, Rerun, Lucy, Sally, Patty Swanson, Schroeder and Cormac. Charlie Brown, Linus, and Pierre carpooled with Marcie and 5 in the Team Cherokee Jeep, where they talked about the championship, and their chances. Charlie Brown also raised an important question.

“Why were we invited to do this?” Charlie Brown asked, “I know we all wanted to do it, but none of us ever applied for the letter to arrive at our doorstep.”

“I don’t know for sure.” Marcie replied. “I don’t think any of us actually know. Morag asked me the same question last Friday. It doesn’t really make sense. You could ask her about it, if that helps.”

“I will, when I next get the chance.” Charlie Brown replied. Shermy and Violet travelled with Eudora in the Polestar Inc. Volvo XC90, whilst Harold Angel, Violette, and Frieda all went in the Bonn Auto Team Principal’s Wife’s Opel Astra. 

The Party bus arrived at the circuit at 5pm, and they were surprised to see Franklin and Pig Pen had already arrived. The Jeep Cherokee arrived half an hour later, with the Polestar Volvo arriving at 6pm. The Opel Astra made it at 6:30. 

Having lounged around for most of the day, at 5 pm, Joe Agate and Thibault Rhodes took Team Sky’s private jet to Connecticut, but because of the connections, Joe and Thibault didn’t arrive until 8pm, where they found out most of the drivers were eating dinner at a nearby hotel. This didn’t bother them though, they were living the life.

On Tuesday 6th, the teams, the cars, the crew, and the motorhomes with them, arrived.

Thursday 8th March: Press Conference.

On Thursday morning, five seemingly random drivers were chosen to participate in a press conference with reporters. These drivers were, Frieda Rich, Pig Pen, Patricia Reichardt, Marcie Johnson, and Patricia Swanson.

I: Frieda, you spent much of your last race at the back, will you be hoping for a better race this weekend?

Frieda: for sure, I would like to get a decent points finish this weekend, but to do that, I’m gonna need a good race and a good qualifying.

I: Pig Pen, you had a decent race last time out, how do you see yourself continuing your good run of results?

Pig Pen: Well, I have a good car, good focus, and a lot of confidence, so I think I can do well.

I: Peppermint Patty, you won the last race, are you looking to win again?

Peppermint Patty: Yes of course. I think everyone’s looking to win though, so I have to stay sharp. 

I: Marcie, you came close to scoring last time out, how do you plan on getting into the points this time around?

Marcie: Well, it helps to qualify in a good position so we’ll see how it goes from there.

I: Patty, you had a good qualifying, but not such a good race. How do you plan on having a good race this weekend?

Patty: well, a good qualifying is key to a good race, so I will try my best, as usual.

I: Thank you. 

Saturday 10th 

With the drivers having already had practice at Lime Rock Park, everyone knew that the race and the qualifying would be quite a challenge, as qualifying got underway. Lucy Van Pelt was the first to head out, in her Earth Power Honda, setting a benchmark of 0:49.832. This time proved a challenge to beat, as both Patty Swanson and José Peterson found out, failing to set a clean lap time. Violette Honfleur set a 0:47.855 to go fastest, before Peppermint Patty went a tenth faster, despite almost binning it into the wall on her final lap. Thibault set a hare-brained 0.50.027, before Sally Brown set a sublime 0:47.233, to go fastest by half a second. Morag cut that time down by another 3 tenths, before Schroeder set a 0:46.450, faster by another half a second.

Joe Agate slid lightly into the wall on his first lap, but continued to set a 0:55.130. Charlie Brown looked to impress this time around, and he set a respectable 0:47.199. His team mate Rerun went straight after him, setting a 0:46.575 to go second. Eudora then set a 0:46.801 to go third. Linus then set a 0:46.961, before Pierre set a 0:45.746 to go fastest. This came as a shock to many. Franklin then set a 0:46.320 to go second, whilst Harold Angel set a 0:46.852. Marcie went second with a 0:45.763, before Five set a 0:47.865. Frieda set a 0:47.039, before Violet Gray set a 0:48.121, and then Shermy set a 0:47.125. Cormac then set a 0:47.482 before Pig Pen set the final time of 0:46.154. At the end of the day, the grid order looked like this.

1st Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:45.746 2nd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:45.763

3rd Pig Pen [Armstrong Racing] 0:46.154 4th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:46.320

5th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:46.450 6th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:46.575

7th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:46.801 8th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:46.852

9th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:46.961 10th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:46.975

11th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:47.039 12th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:47.125

13th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:47.199 14th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:47.233

15th Cormac O’Connor [Daihatsu] 0:47.482 16th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:47.758

17th Violette Honfleur [ACE Racing Co] 0:47.855 18th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:47.865

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:48.121 20th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:49.832

21st Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:50.027 22nd José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:51.713

23rd Patricia Swanson [ACE Racing Co] 0:52.174 24th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:55.130

After Qualifying, the top three Qualifiers were interviewed.

I: Pierre, your time came seemingly out of the blue for many people, how did you do it? 

Pierre: well, I hadn’t done well in the first two laps so I decided to just go for it, and push the limits. Luckily my lap was clean, and now I’m on pole. 

I: Marcie, you came very close to pole today, by your performance, you seemed to understand the secret to Pierre’s lap time, am I correct?

Marcie: Yeah, when Pierre finished his run, the engineers and I noticed he took one part of it flat, when everyone else before him had braked, so we tried to use that to our advantage. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, but second is a nice place to be. 

I: Pig Pen, you set the final time of the session, do you think this helped you?

Pigpen: “Absolutely. By going out last, we can look at the most data, and absorb every detail of the lap. We also had the clearest idea of what we had to do to succeed.”  
Championship leader, Peppermint Patty was also interviewed.

I: Peppermint Patty, 16th isn’t really where you wanted to be, is it?

“No, it isn’t. Tomorrow I’ll just have to try and work my way through the field. I think a lot of people were surprised at how fast Pierre went. Good luck to him anyway.

I: and good luck to you too!

“Thanks.”

Sunday 11th March – Race Day in Connecticut

Pierre lined his car up on pole, relishing the prospect of an unlikely victory. As the mechanics and the VIP’s left the confines of the track, the announcer’s voice was heard.

Announcer: “Ladies and Gentlemen! Start your engines!”

Pierre, as well as all of the other drivers, did so.

Announcer: As the pace car leads the racers on before the start of the race, the drivers will have to complete 73 laps of the course in which they will have to fight over 1st place. And as the cars head toward the start line, the Connecticut Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!”

Pierre led into the first corner, with Rerun overtaking Schroeder into 5th. By the end of the first lap, Charlie Brown had overtaken Shermy into 12th. Marcie took the lead at the end of lap two. By the start of lap thirteen, Charlie Brown was 11th, Linus slipped to tenth, and Schroeder was back ahead of Rerun. On lap 13, Peppermint Patty and Violette Honfleur were carving their way through the field, whilst Shermy had fallen back to 15th. Lap 14 saw Pig Pen duke it out for position, with Pig Pen staying ahead. On Lap 17, Rerun got a tow from Schroeder, but turned into turn 1 early, Schroeder, having no room to avoid him, hit him, and Rerun was gone, off the track, and into the barriers. It was to be a steep lesson for the inexperienced Rerun. By the end of Lap 25, the positions looked like this

1st Marcie Johnson, 2nd Pierre Fermier, 3rd Pig Pen, 4th Franklin Armstrong, 5th Eudora Elm, 6th Harold Angel, 7th Linus Van Pelt, 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder, 9th Charlie Brown, 10th Morag McMurdo, 11th Sally Brown, 12th Frieda Rich, 13th Patricia Reichardt, 14th Violette Honfleur, 15th Shermy Plepler, 16th Cormac O’ Connor, 17th 555 95472, 18th Jose Peterson, 19th Violet Gray, 20th Lucy Van Pelt, 21st Thibault Rhodes, 22nd Joe Agate, 23rd Patty Swanson, (Ret) Rerun Van Pelt. On lap 26, Pierre retook the lead away from Marcie. Things stayed normal until lap 38, when Shermy and Cormac collided with each other, sending them both into the wall and out of the race. On lap 49, Franklin overtook Pig Pen to take 3rd place. By the end of lap 50, the positions were as follows…

1st Pierre Fermier, 2nd Marcie Johnson, 3rd Franklin Armstrong, 4th Pig Pen, 5th Eudora Elm, 6th Harold Angel, 7th Linus Van Pelt, 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder, 9th Charlie Brown, 10th Morag McMurdo, 11th Sally Brown, 12th Frieda Rich, 13th Patricia Reichardt, 14th Violette Honfleur, 15th 555 95472, 16th Jose Peterson, 17th Violet Gray, 18th Lucy Van Pelt, 19th Thibault Rhodes, 20th Joe Agate, 21st Patty Swanson, (Ret) Cormac O’Connor, (Ret) Shermy Plepler, (Ret) Rerun Van Pelt. 

Marcie took the lead on lap 61, only for Pierre to retake it on lap 62. Lap 73 came and the chequered flag was being made ready. As the cars made their way onto the pit straight, the announcer took his place.

Announcer: “And Pierre Fermier wins in Connecticut! Marcie Johnson is 2nd, Franklin Armstrong is 3rd, Pig Pen is 4th, Eudora Elm is 5th, Harold Angel is 6th, Linus Van Pelt is 7th, Schroder E. Schroder is 8th, Charlie Brown is 9th, and Morag McMurdo rounds out the top ten. 

Sally Brown was 11th, Frieda Rich was 12th, Patricia Reichardt was 13th, Violette Honfleur was 14th, Jose Peterson was 15th, 555 95472 was 16th, Violet Gray was 17th, Lucy van Pelt was 18th, Joe Agate was 19th, Thibault Rhodes was 20th, and Patty Swanson was 21st.”

‘In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1.Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 25pts 2. Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 25pts  
3.Pig Pen [Armstrong] 20pts 4. Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 19pts  
5.Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 18pts 6. Jose Peterson [Daihatsu] 15pts  
7.Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 15pts 8. Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 12pts  
9.Eudora Elm [Polestar] 10pts 10. Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 10pts  
11.Harold Angel [Isdera] 8pts 12. Sally Brown [Polestar] 6pts  
13.Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 6pts 14. Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 6pts  
15.Patricia Swanson [ACE Racing Co] 4pts 16. Charlie Brown [Renault] 2pts  
17.Cormac O’Connor [Daihatsu] 1pt 18. Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0pts  
19.Violette Honfleur [ACE Racing Co] 0pts 20. 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0pts  
21.Violet Gray [Zontec] 0pts 22. Joe Agate [Sky] 0pts  
23.Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0pts 24. Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts

Pierre parked his car on Victory Road and walked up to the podium. In the waiting room, Pierre had a chat with Marcie and Franklin about the race, before walking out onto the podium. Everyone stood still and silent whilst the French anthem played and the flags of France and the USA unfurled. The Italian anthem played after the French one finished. After that, the competitors drank their milk and went off to the pressroom.

In the pressroom, the interviewers had some questions

I: Pierre, what an amazing race. Is this how you hoped it would play out?

Pierre: Absolutely. I’m very happy with how I stayed ahead, and I’m happy for the team, and I’d also like to thank Marcie for giving me a good race. 

I: Thank you. Marcie, you spent a lot of time in the lead. Do you regret not holding the lead for longer than you did?

Marcie: “Right now, I’m happy I got a podium and I’m only 7 points behind in the championship, so I’m feeling good.”

I: Franklin, your team have had a good race, how are you feeling right now?

“Really good, we’re very close to 1st in the championship. Pig Pen is a very fast teammate. Hopefully I can get myself ahead of him, because I want to win the Championship.  
Peppermint Patty was also interviewed. 

I: Peppermint Patty, you didn’t have such a great race today. Do you feel you will need to change your approach for next race?

Peppermint Patty: not really, no. I’m quite lucky that I still have the championship lead, so I know I’ll have to keep Pierre behind me. As usual, next week I will be focusing on the win. 

I: Thank you.

The drivers went back to their hotel at the end of the day, and they went all went to sleep, ready for the next morning.


	3. Race 3: New Hampshire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Peanuts gang move on to the next race. Charlie Brown has some questions for Morag.

Monday 12th March 2018

In the morning, everyone was up and ready to make the trip to New Hampshire Motor speedway. Five, Cormac, Rerun, Shermy and Jose left in the Cherokee Jeep at 11:00 am. Peppermint Patty, Sally Brown and Lucy van Pelt left in the Honda Civic team car at 11:30. Joe Agate and Thibault had flown in the team sky jet at 2pm. Frieda, Violette, Violet, and Patty all took The Opel Astra at 11:45. The top ten Party bus, as before, left at noon.

Charlie Brown spotted Morag on the party bus. Charlie Brown got straight to the point.

"Marcie tells me you also found it weird, that we were all invited to do this thing." He began.

"Yeah, that's right." Morag replied. "It's very strange." "I don't think anyone would do this sort of thing, like host an entire motorsports championship, without asking for something in return."

"Like money?" Charlie Brown asked.

"No I think there's something else."

"Do you think there is some ulterior motive?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Yes. I think so. I need to find out more about the owners. Sunday 25th, I'll be at the Glen. Meet me there 10am sharp and I'll tell you what I know." Charlie Brown and Morag continued to talk about regular championship related things until the Party bus arrived at New Hampshire Motor speedway at 5pm. Everyone else except for Joe Agate and Thibault had arrived there about an hour beforehand. Joe Agate and Thibault arrived at the track at 6pm, slightly less happy than they looked the previous week.

On Tuesday 13th the teams, the cars, the crew, and the motorhomes with them, arrived.

Thursday 15th Press Conference.

On Thursday morning, five seemingly random drivers were chosen to participate in a press conference with reporters. These drivers were, Lucy Van Pelt, Five 95472, Frieda Rich, Harold Angel and Sally Brown.

I: Lucy, you and your teammate didn't have such a good race last time out. How do you plan to rectify that?"

Lucy: "We need to be faster in qualifying. This is an oval, and we had good pace at Delaware, so we'll see how this one pans out."

I: Five, whilst you've been hanging in the midfield, your teammate is 5th in the championship. Are you worried at the difference in speed between you and your teammate?

Five: Well, like I always do, I will try my best this weekend, and we'll see if that's enough to produce results.

I: Frieda, you came close to scoring points last time out. Do you think you can score some this weekend?

Frieda: Yeah I hope to score points today. Schroeder proved that this car is capable of scoring points, so I hope to be in the top 10 this time around.

I: Harold Angel, you scored a good haul of points last time. How happy are you with the car?"

Harold Angel: oh, I'm very pleased. Isdera have brought a fast set of wheels for me to race on. And I think we as a team have proven we are frontrunners for the championship.

I: Sally, you had a good race in Delaware, but not such a good race last time out. Do you think you can regain that form?

Sally: sure I can. I didn't qualify too well at Lime Rock Park, but I'm going all out on Saturday, don't you worry.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 17th March

After practice had finished at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, everyone was anxiously waiting for qualifying to start, and sure enough, it did, with Cormac O'Connor being the first to set a lap time. He set a benchmark of 0:27.002. This was instantly beaten by Charlie Brown, who set a 0:26.682. Frieda then went fastest with a 0:26.507, before Schroeder slotted into second with a 0:26.508. Morag then went third with a 0:26.646. Pierre Fermier then set a time of 0:27.032 to put him 6th and last. Jose Peterson then went 5th with a 0:26.842, before Franklin took that 5th with a 0:26.715. Thibault then impressed himself by setting a 0:26.885, before his teammate, Joe Agate, beat his time with a 0:26.722.

Marcie then set a 0:26.624 to go third, before Patty Swanson set a 0:26.930. Sally failed to set a clean lap time, leaving her with a 0:32.979, putting her thirteenth and last. She was followed by Linus, who set a 0:26.634. Violet Gray unexpectedly went third with a 0:26.521, before Pig Pen took third from her with a 0:26.512. Eudora then set a 0:27.156, putting her second from last. Lucy Van Pelt set a respectable 0:26.780, before Harold Angel set an even more respectable 0:26.721. Rerun Van Pelt went 5th with a 0:26.601. Championship Leader Peppermint Patty hit the wall on lap 3, but she had set a time of 0:26.772 beforehand. Violette Honfleur then set a blistering 0:26.632, before Five set a 0:26.954 and Shermy set a 0:26.975. at the end of Qualifying the grid looked like this…

1st Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:26.507 2nd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:26.508

3rd Pig Pen [Armstrong Racing] 0:26.512 4th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:26.521

5th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.601 6th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:26.624

7th Violette Honfleur [ACE Racing Co] 0:26.632 8th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:26.634

9th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.646 10th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:26.682

11th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:26.715 12th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.721

13th Joe Agate [Team Sky] 0:26.722 14th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:26.772

15th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:26.780 16th Jose Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:26.842

17th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:26.885 18th Patricia Swanson [ACE Racing Co] 0:26.930

19th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:26.954 20th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.975

21st Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:27.002 22nd Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:27.032

23rd Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:27.156 24th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:32.979

After Qualifying, the top three Qualifiers were interviewed.

I: Frieda, you told us on Thursday, you said you "hoped to be in the top 10 this time", how close to that do you feel you are, now that you are on pole position.

Frieda: Very close. I will try my best to keep them two (pointing at Schroeder and Pig Pen) behind me.

I: Schroeder, given that your team has a front row lockout, will there be any team orders to ensure a 1-2?

Schroeder: (leans in towards the microphone) no.

I: Pig-pen, this is your second third place start in a row, how confident do you feel about taking the championship lead?

Pig-pen: Well, sure. I'm only 5 points behind Peppermint Patty, so I'm in quite an ideal position.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Peppermint Patty was also interviewed.

I: Peppermint Patty, another qualifying outside the top ten. How do you intend to keep your championship lead?

Peppermint Patty: Well I'll have to try my best won't I. Pass people and try to score points.

I: Thank you.

Sunday 18th September – Race Day in New Hampshire

As the cars made the grid, Frieda lined up on pole, hoping to join the winner's circle. As the mechanics and the VIP's left the oval, the announcer's voice was heard.

Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Frieda did so, as did everyone else.

Announcer: as the pace car takes them around the track for the last time, they will have 101 laps to find out who is the fastest. And as the cars approach the starting line, the New Hampshire Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!

Frieda got a decent start, but Schroeder got a better one, and Schroeder overtook her at the first corner. The cars then followed in line behind them. A lot of drivers played it safe, not really attempting to make any careless moves, as cars like Violet's and Rerun's struggled to hold position. There was a squabble for second between Frieda and Pigpen, which eventually became a three way battle for the lead. By lap 50, Violet had fallen from 4th to 8th and Rerun had fallen from 6th on lap 1 down to 9th by the midway point. Peppermint Patty had battled her way into 11th, but she was still outside the points. Lucy had eclipsed Joe Agate and Jose Peterson to move up into 14th whilst Shermy and Cormac had drifted to the back of the field, Cormac retiring on lap 63 with an engine issue.

On lap 75, Violet passed Rerun to take P8, and the leaders had not changed position. The three frontrunners traded the lead for the remaining laps with Frieda and Pig-Pen holding the lead for several laps each, before ultimately finishing with Schroeder ahead as it was before.

"And Schroeder E. Schroeder wins in New Hampshire! Frieda Rich is 2nd, Pig Pen is 3rd, Marcie Johnson is 4th, Linus Van Pelt is 5th, Morag McMurdo is 6th, Charlie Brown is 7th, Violet Gray scores her first points in 8th, Rerun Van Pelt is 9th and Violette Honfleur rounds out the top 10.

Patricia Reichardt was 11th, with Harold Angel 12th, Lucy Van Pelt 13th, Franklin Armstrong 14th, Jose Peterson 15th, Joe Agate 16th, Patty Swanson in 17th, Thibault Rhodes 18th, Sally Brown 19th, Eudora Elm 20th, 555 95472 was 21st, Pierre Fermier was 22nd, and Shermy Plepler was 23rd.

In the Championship, the Standings are as follows…

1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 35pts 2nd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 31pts

3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 30pts 4th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 27pts

5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 25pts 6th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 25pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 18pts 8th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 16pts

9th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 15pts 10th Jose Peterson [Daihatsu] 15pts

11th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 14pts 12th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 10pts

13th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 10pts 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 8pts

15th Charlie Brown [Renault] 8pts 16th Sally Brown [Polestar] 6pts

17th Patty Swanson [ACE] 4pts 18th Violet Gray [Zontec] 4pts

19th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1pt 20th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1pt

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 0pts 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0pts

23rd Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts 24th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0pts

Schroeder parked his car on Victory Road and walked up to the podium. In the waiting room, Schroeder congratulated Frieda on her 2nd Place and they both chatted with Pigpen, before walking out onto the podium. Everyone stood still and silent whilst the American anthem played and the 3 American flags unfurled. The German anthem played after the American one finished. After that, the competitors drank their milk and went off to the pressroom.

In the pressroom, the interviewer had a few questions for them.

I: Schroeder, you took the lead at the start. How important was that, do you think, for the win?"

"I don't really think it was that important, really. The three of us all led towards the end, so really it was the last overtake that won it."

I: Frieda, you took pole yesterday, 2nd place today. Are you happy with your result?

"I'm definitely pleased. I helped the team score a 1-2 today, and scored my first points of the season. Before you ask, I did go all out for the win, but obviously, Schroeder won out in the end.

I: Pigpen, your first podium of the season, how does it feel to be the current championship leader?

"I'm very pleased. I wasn't expecting to be so competitive so early on. But thanks to the team, were beating all of the established marques, and we hope to stay at the top."

Down in the paddock, Marcie Johnson was also interviewed.

I: Marcie, you finished strongly today, and you're now 3rd in the championship. Do you think you can take the lead next race?"

"I'm only 5 points behind Pig Pen, so it shouldn't be too hard, as long as I keep scoring."

The drivers went back to their hotel and went to sleep, ready for the next morning.


	4. The Indomitable Watkin's Glen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown and Linus suspect the race organisers have ulterior motives, and the drivers struggle during qualifying for the next race.

Monday 19th March 2018

With an extra week before the next round at Watkin's Glen, the competitors made great use of the extra time given to them, in order to relax and recuperate from the strenuous racing. Charlie Brown sat with Linus at around mid-morning in a wood furnished café not far from the circuit.

"How are you doing?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I'm doing well, I think." Linus responded. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Do you ever, have any questions about who's running the championship?"

"Do I? I heard you and Morag talking about it on the party bus last week. Of course I have questions. Nobody is going to sign off onto a racing series for kids like this. Most car racing starts at 14 at the very least. Some of us are 6. Rerun's only 5. That's barely karting age. It's a miracle Rerun has even got this far without getting himself hurt." Linus answered.

"I know. He's already crashed once." Charlie Brown shared his concerns.

"Luckily Lime Rock Park isn't a high speed oval. These places can be deathtraps, even for adults." Linus alluded. "Which begs the question why they even let us kids race on it."

"Morag asked me to meet her at the Glen this Sunday. She'll tell me anything she knows then." Charlie Brown.

"That's a day before the party bus leaves." Linus pointed out.

"I see." Charlie Brown replied.

"Let me know what she says. It's not good for the organisers to be keeping secrets from us." Linus replied.

On Wednesday 21st, many of the drivers took the opportunity to do some extra training to get themselves ready for the races ahead. Charlie Brown, Linus, Rerun and Lucy had all gone to a local gym to strengthen up, Rerun in particular focusing on increasing his neck strength. Peppermint Patty and Marcie were swimming lengths at the local community pool, and Franklin, Pig Pen, Eudora and Five were out running. Thibault and Joe Agate weren't exercising at all, they were hanging around town running a marbles ring. Patty, Shermy, Violet and Sally were playing tennis, while Jose, Cormac, Harold Angel, Pierre and Frieda were playing Baseball. Violette and Schroeder did some Yoga exercises, and Morag was doing sit ups whilst sitting at a computer in her hotel room, where she was doing some digging.

Sunday 25th March

Watkins Glen, New York. Charlie Brown had asked the Renault team to drive the two of them one day early. They had initially dismissed his request but when he pointed out that the Isdera team were doing the same, they immediately changed their tune. They arrived late in the morning. Charlie Brown asked to scout the track and they granted his wish. Charlie Brown looked around. Morag was leaning on the pitwall, slumping boredly as she watched the empty track and waited.

"Good Morning, Morag."

"About time, Charlie Brown." she replied.

"How have you been?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I've been busy." Morag replied.

"Mhm." Charlie Brown nodded. "You manage to find anything out?

"Yes and No." Morag replied. "I did a bit of digging, asking the engineers where the money for their salaries come from."

"They get their money from the team bosses." Charlie Brown replied.

"And then I asked where the teams are getting their money from. Most of them didn't know, but the team principal was very helpful. He told me they were paid by a company named Verticalis Holdings LLC. I did a quick internet search on it and the company address is supposedly on the Cayman Islands.

"What does that mean?" Charlie Brown asked.

"It means it's a shell company." Morag replied. "It just holds money somewhere where it won't be taxed whilst the people behind it run the show with a different company." She explained. "I'll try and find out who it belongs to, but given we're stuck here for the week, I might not have anything new until the race after."

"I might try and find out some things of my own. I have a feeling the press will know who runs the show." Charlie Brown replied.

"Be careful, though. Don't ask too directly, or they'll start thinking you're suspicious. They're in on the whole idea as much as the owners are, or they wouldn't be broadcasting it." Morag warned.

"Thanks anyway." Charlie Brown replied. The two of them left the pitwall and returned to their garages.

Rerun and Harold Angel were also at the track, and had also met up whilst they were watching Charlie Brown and Morag talk.

"You okay?" Rerun asked.

"Uh huh. I see you're early too." Harold Angel replied. "Do you know why we're early?"

"Don't know, more practice I guess? That's what our boss says anyway." Rerun answered.

"If you ask me, I saw Morag and Charlie Brown sit next to each other on the bus last time, and now they're chatting here. I think they like each other."

The two of them giggled to themselves, before splitting apart and getting back to studying the circuit.

Monday 26th March

The top 10 party bus was depleted in number this time, given three of the top ten finishers were already at the circuit. Like last race, the party bus left at noon, arriving at the circuit at around 7pm.

Peppermint Patty, Lucy and Franklin drove there in the Honda Civic team car, while Five, Cormac, Jose and Patty Swanson rode in the Team Cherokee Jeep. Thibault and Joe Agate took a ride in Team Sky's Volkswagen Touareg, while Sally, Eudora, Pierre and Shermy shared the Polestar's Volvo XC90. They all left at around 11, arriving an hour before the party bus did.

On Tuesday 27th, the teams, the cars, the crew, and the motorhomes with them, arrived at the track.

Thursday 29th March

On Thursday morning, another 5 drivers were seemingly randomly selected to be interviewed by reporters from the press. These drivers were: Lucy Van Pelt, Thibault Rhodes, Cormac O'Connor, Linus Van Pelt, and Sally Brown.

I: Lucy, you and your team have struggled since the first race, what can you do to start earning points again?

Lucy: Well, we are some of the best overtakers in the field, so if we can qualify close to the points, we should be in with a good chance.

I: Thibault, you and Joe Agate have made names of yourselves for your aggressive moves on the track, but it hasn't translated into any points. How do you see yourself changing that?

Thibault: well, we had our best finishes last race so if we keep at it and stay on that trajectory, we'll be scoring points in no time.

I: Cormac, your car broke down last race. Is that just a fluke or are there underlying problems with the car?

Cormac: It's too early to tell at the moment, but we're hoping that was only a one-time thing.

I: Linus, you finished 5th last time. Do you think you can get yourself onto the podium this time around?

Linus: That would be realistic progress for us. As a team we want to be consistently finishing highly so we can win the championship.

I: Sally, last time, you qualified last, and only finished 19th, do you think you can do a better job in qualifying this time?

Sally: Last race was a disaster, and the underlying problems we had last time should be fixed for this time, so expect us to finish nearer the points.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 31st March

After final practice had finished at the Glen, everyone was eager to go out and set a qualifying time, and eventually, they did, with Patty Swanson going out first, setting a time of 1:39.419, before losing her front wing on her second lap. The track was very green, which meant a lot of drivers were either tentative or made mistakes. Next out was Shermy, who although he too lost his front wing, on lap one, grew comfortable without it and set a time of 1:30.975. José was next out making multiple mistakes, eventually setting a time of 1:38.551. Sally Brown then made the same error as shermy did, but she took top spot with a time of 1:29.792.

Joe Agate lost his front wing on the outlap, and proceeded to throw the car around as much as possible, setting a time of 1:29.295 before crashing out on lap 2. Next out was Franklin, who improved on that time and set a 1:27.822, which was instantly beaten by an uncaring Violet, who set a 1:27.582. Peppermint Patty was the first to complete a run without losing her front wing, setting a time of 1:29.922, which put her in 5th.

Championship Leader Pig Pen was next, setting a 1:27.933 on his first timed lap. On his third lap though, he went through the Chicane too fast and hit the wall hard. Losing a wheel and both his wings, his car flipped upside down and careened into the opposite wall, which caused the car to rebound and spin a further 5 times before flipping back up onto its wheels. The Marshals immediately red flagged the session and those who were nearby ran to help Pig-Pen. As they approached him, it became clear that he had been knocked unconscious. He was still breathing, but the marshals signalled for an ambulance.


	5. Race 4: New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drivers become worried after Pig Pen's crash, and decide whether to continue with the race.

The other drivers watched the screens in horror as they saw what had happened, particularly the Armstrong team, whose faces were buried in their hands. Charlie Brown, Rerun, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Morag, and Marcie all had that same look on their faces, as did most of the other racers.

The medics carefully lifted Pig Pen out of the car, onto a stretcher and into the ambulance, which transported him to the medical centre. The marshals then set about clearing up the debris and the stricken car. Once that was done, an announcement over the tannoy signalled that Qualifying would restart, though the drivers were less than okay with that. Despite that, they pressed on.

Thibault, unfazed by Pig Pen's accident went out and set a time of 1:28.218, sans front wing. Five then set a time of 1:28.925, before hitting the wall and losing his rear wing on lap 2, ending his session. Frieda then impressed everyone by finishing her 3 laps without hitting the wall even once, setting a time of 1:29.784.

Harold Angel was next to go out, setting a time of 1:28.015, before he damaged the rear of his car by hitting the wall, eventually dragging his car to a gap in the Armco. Schroeder damaged his front wing on his first lap, but still set a time of 1:29.670. Pierre lost his front wing on his out lap, before setting a lap time of 1:28.654, pitting on his second lap after hitting the wall.

Charlie Brown, apprehensive after witnessing Pig Pen's accident, was next to go out. He avoided the wall on every lap, and silenced any critics he had with a blistering time of 1:25.512, fastest by over 2 seconds, proving exactly what the car was capable of. Cormac elected to start without his front wing, setting a time of 1:28.695 before Eudora followed with a time of 1:30.921. Violette shot into second with a time of 1:26.935.

Linus then set a time of 1:28.204 after losing his front while, whilst Morag took over second place with a 1:25.718. Marcie slotted behind her into 4th with a 1:27.206. Lucy then set a 1:29.676, before Rerun set the final time of the day with a 1:30.704.

After the final time of the day, there came another announcement over the tannoy. It said Pig Pen was now conscious and awake, but was still being checked for injuries, including concussion.

At the end of the session, the grid order looked like this…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:25.512 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:25.718

3rd Violette Honfleur [ACE Racing Co] 1:26.935 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:27.206

5th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:27.582 6th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:27.822

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 1:27.933 {Withdrawn} 8th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:28.015

9th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:28.204 10th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1:28.218

11th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:28.654 12th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:28.695

13th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 1:28.925 14th Joe Agate [Sky] 1:29.295

15th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:29.670 16th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:29.676

17th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:29.784 18th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:29.792

19th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:29.922 20th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:30.704

21st Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:30.921 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:30.975

23rd Jose Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:38.551 24th Patricia Swanson [ACE Racing Co] 1:39.419

The organisers scheduled the post qualifying interviews 20 minutes after the session had ended, and the 3 front runners made their way hurriedly to the interview room.

I: Charlie Brown, you've taken your first pole position of the season, on what is an iconic and challenging track. How do you feel now that you've achieved this?

Charlie Brown: Well, I would much rather my success be in more joyous circumstances, given what happened today. I am of course very happy to be at the front, and the team have worked hard to get us this far.

I: Morag, you seem to be consistently at the front of the field, is there a secret to your success?

Morag: No. We have a good car, and as you've seen, we seem to do better at this circuit. I am of course going to challenge Charlie Brown for the win, but we trust each other to race fairly, especially with the track as treacherous as it has been.

I: Violette, your presence at the front of the field was a surprise to everyone, what was different about this session in particular that put you at the front.

Violette: I think a lot of people struggled with the surface of the track, and quite a few people, understandably, were cautious after seeing Pig Pen's accident, that might be why.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Pig Pen, unsurprisingly, was unavailable for interview, so his nearest rival, Schroeder was interviewed.

I: You're 15th on the grid, do you see yourself overtaking Pig Pen in the championship standings?

Schroeder: I don't think that's really a valid question, so I'm not going to answer it.

A couple of hours after qualifying was over, Charlie Brown, Rerun, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Morag, Marcie, and Franklin all headed to the medical centre, anxiously awaiting news of Pig-Pen's condition. They sat in the waiting room, with concerned and despairing looks on their faces. Not long later, a doctor walked out of Pig Pen's room. The doctor was a rather portly gentleman, with glasses, frizzy hair and a well-trimmed, and grey moustache.

"Oh, I see you're all here about Pig Pen, correct?" the Doctor asked. The drivers nodded.

"Well, he is awake, and talking. At the moment, we can confirm that Pig Pen has concussion, as well as a minor fracture on his right ankle. He most certainly will not be fit to race for at least 4, maybe 5 weeks." He announced. A couple of reporters took notes in the background while the drivers murmured. "He is allowing visitors, but I insist you only visit one at a time."

"Okay." Charlie Brown replied. The others gave him the opportunity to go first, so he did, with some hesitation. Walking into Pig-pen's room, the first thing he saw was Pig-Pen, lying on the hospital bed, his foot in a cast.

"How are you doing?" Charlie Brown asked, locking his hands together anxiously.

"I have a headache. My ankle hurts too." Pig Pen replied.

"You know what happened to you?"

"I don't remember what happened." Pig Pen answered.

"I mean your injuries?" Charlie Brown clarified.

"Yeah. Doctor told me. Can't race for a month he said. Where was I anyway?"

"7th." Charlie Brown replied.

"Damn. What about you? Where are you starting from?" Pig Pen asked.

"Pole. I'd be pleased, but it's not great seeing people get hurt." Charlie Brown answered.

"I'll be watching the race tomorrow. They put a little screen up there." Pig Pen pointed at the TV.

"That's nice."

"Good luck tomorrow." Pig Pen replied.

"Thanks. I guess I'll go now. There's a lot of people waiting to see you." Charlie Brown waved, before leaving the room. Upon leaving, Morag beckoned Charlie Brown towards her.

"So us 7 have agreed, we'll hold an emergency driver's meeting at 8, at the Isdera Motorhome. You in?"

"Of course. Make sure everyone else knows too." Charlie Brown replied.

8pm, the Isdera Motorhome. An impromptu driver's meeting was about to begin. 20 drivers turned up, with the exception of Pig Pen, for obvious reasons, Rerun, who was asleep, and Thibault and Joe. Morag was the first to speak.

"Now, those of you here will all know the reason we are meeting today. Tonight we will be discussing the conditions of the track, and what we can do tomorrow to avert further wrecks like that which we saw today."

"The track was slippery, we all know that." Peppermint Patty raised a point.

"It rained last night." Franklin replied. "It dried but the grip levels were still poor. Also the banking and the concrete didn't make things any easier.

"Definitely." Charlie Brown agreed.

"There is a legitimate question of whether it is safe for our cars to drive on this track, I think." Marcie raised. "This place has no shortage of fatal accidents."

"The walls are very close." Linus added.

"Racing is always dangerous though." Lucy pointed out. "We take these risks willingly, and I don't think it's fair on those watching if we were to cancel just because someone got hurt." Morag simply nodded slowly.

"Ok. We'll take a vote. All in favour of racing tomorrow, raise their hand." Morag replied. Violet, Lucy, José, Charlie Brown, Franklin, Pierre, Peppermint Patty, Eudora, Cormac, Violette, Linus, Frieda, Five and Harold all raised their hand.

"And those not in favour?" Sally, Morag, Shermy, Patty Swanson, Marcie, and Schroeder raised their hand.

"Alright. By a vote of 14-6, we agree to continue with the race tomorrow."

"Agreed." The rest of the meeting replied, as they all got up and returned to their respective motorhomes. By now, the news had confirmed reports of Pig Pen's condition, and his inability to race.

Sunday 1st April – Race Day at The Glen

A low mood hung around the grid as the cars were lined up on the grid, a lot of murmurs occurring among both drivers and the VIPs dotted around the track. Eventually, the time for the race came, and as all the drivers, with the exception of the absent Pig Pen, got into their cars, the race announcer made his trademark statement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your engines!" Charlie Brown did so, as did everyone else. The pace car led the formation lap, with the cars behind it weaving to get heat into the tyres.

"As the Pace car begins to pull into the pits, the driver will have to face 31 laps of The Glen. As the cars approach the starting line, the New York Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

The cars got away cleanly has they headed into the first corner, Franklin leapfrogging Violet. As the cars rounded turn 8 for the first time, Pierre went up the inside of Thibault, but Thibault turned in on him and was spun round, sending both of them into the gravel and out of the race. The two of them got out on their own and walked away from each other. The race was brought under yellow flags and they all lined up behind the pace car while the marshals cleared up the mess. At the end of lap three, when the pace car pulled in, the positions were… Charlie Brown 1st, Morag 2nd, Violette 3rd, Marcie 4th, Franklin 5th, Violet 6th, Harold 7th, Linus 8th, Cormac 9th and Five 10th.

On the restart, Morag overtook Charlie Brown into turn one. Marcie then overtook Violette on lap 5 and Linus overtook Harold Angel on lap 7. Further down the field, José had passed Shermy, and Lucy passed Schroeder into 12th. Joe Agate and five fiercely battled for 10th for several laps, with 5 having the edge. On lap 10, Charlie Brown repassed Morag into turn one, and led the race again. On lap 16, Franklin passed Violette for 4th, before Linus passed Violet on lap 20. The race started to settle, with Patty Swanson pulling into the pits to retire when faced with imminent electrical failure.

Frieda passed both Schroeder and Lucy on lap 26 as some of the runners developed tyre wear issues. Marcie also had tyre issues, which pushed her back into 5th on lap 28. Cormac also drifted into 12th after getting loose at turn 8. Lap 31 came around, and the race at the front was still pretty tight. Charlie Brown held off Morag with some spirited defending, before finally crossing the finish line.

"And Charlie Brown wins at The Glen! Morag is 2nd, Franklin 3rd, Violette holds onto 4th, with Marcie 5th, Linus 6th Violet 7th, Harold Angel 8th, Five 9th, and Frieda Rich passing Joe Agate on the final turn to finish 10th!"

"Joe Agate was 11th, Cormac 12th, Lucy 13th, Schroeder 14th, Sally Brown 15th, Patricia Reichardt 16th, Rerun Van Pelt 17th, Eudora 18th, José Peterson 19th, and Shermy Plepler in 20th.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 45pts 2nd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 40pts

3rd Pig Pen [Armstrong] 35pts 4th Charlie Brown [Renault] 33pts

5th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 31pts 6th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts

7th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 25pts 8th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 25pts

9th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 24pts 10th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 19pts

11th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 15pts 12th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 14pts

13th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 13pts 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts

15th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 10pts 16th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 10pts

17th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts 18th Sally Brown [Polestar] 6pts

19th Patty Swanson [ACE] 4pts 20th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

21st Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1pt 22nd Joe Agate [Sky] 0pts

23rd Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts 24th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0pts

Charlie Brown parked his car on Victory Road and exited the car in muted celebration, shaking the hand of his competitor, Morag, before receiving the plaudits of his employees. The three podium finishers then headed for the podium. In the waiting room, Morag congratulated both Charlie Brown and Franklin, and they commented about the difficulty of the track and gave well wishes to Pig Pen. The three of them then walked out onto the podium. Everyone stood still and silent as the American anthem played, and the American and British flags unfurled. The French anthem played after the American one finished. When that was over, the competitors smiled, drank their milk, picked up their trophies and left for the pressroom.

In the pressroom, as always, the interviewer had a few questions for them.

I: Charlie Brown, you won today. How much do you plan to celebrate?

Charlie Brown: well, whilst I'm pleased that I'm now properly in the championship fight, my win is not as important as seeing Pig-Pen make a full recovery.

I: Morag, you lead the championship after today, do you see any rivalries developing in the near future?

Morag: Charlie Brown and I seem to have a friendly rivalry at the moment, which is good. As for the others, as long as everyone respects each other, I'm perfectly fine to take on all challengers.

I: Franklin, you battled from 6th to 3rd. In light of recent events, how special is this result for the team.

Franklin: Well, it's certainly been a tough weekend. A lot of us were thinking of Pig Pen today, and yeah, I do think that's partly what drove me to do so well. I'm also pleased that we still lead the constructor's championship.

Down in the paddock, Marcie was also interviewed.

I: You seemed to struggle with the tyre wear. Do you think this is going to continue in future races?

Marcie: I think Watkin's Glen is a special case with regard to what you've said, especially with how slippery it was yesterday. It's definitely going to be easier in Michigan, I think.

The drivers all went back to their hotel for the night and went to sleep, ready for the next morning.


	6. Race 5: Michigan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown and co discuss the events of the previous race, as the circus moves on once more.

Monday 2nd April

The Party bus left at 10 that morning, with every point scorer on board. Morag, true to her word, wasn't able to pry out any more info in the time since the previous week. The bus trundled its way to Michigan for 7 hours, arriving at 5pm.

Joe Agate and Thibault were driven in the Volkswagen Touareg once again, whilst Sally, Eudora, Pierre and Shermy all shared the Polestar's Volvo XC90 for a second week. Peppermint Patty, Lucy, Patty Swanson and Rerun took the Honda Civic and José, Cormac and Schroeder took the Opel Astra.

Once at the track, Charlie Brown and Linus began to chat to each other in the paddock.

"How have you been, Charlie Brown? You seem troubled."

"That shouldn't be a surprise." Charlie Brown replied. "Just two weeks ago, we were talking about how risky it was, and now…"

"Yeah, I know." Linus understood. "And the organisers are trying their darnedest to sweep it under the carpet. Did you know the race broadcast never mentioned the accident once?

"No."

"It shocked me too. Did Morag tell you anything last week?" Linus asked.

"Not a lot, she says she's doing some more digging, but the owners are trying to hide their money from the taxman." Charlie Brown answered.

"I see. That explains her vote on Saturday." Linus replied. "Do you think the press know what's going on?"

"Doubt it. The honest ones are hungry for news, and we haven't heard a squeak yet."

"You see over there," Linus pointed at a blonde haired girl with pigtails. "She's a new driver, filling in until Pig Pen comes back."

"I see." Charlie Brown observed.

"You'll have to learn who to trust before digging at the press, Charlie Brown." Linus replied.

"Morag said something similar." Charlie Brown said. Linus checked his watch.

"Teammate's expecting me at dinner. Good luck this week."

"And you too." Charlie Brown waved goodbye.

On Tuesday 3rd, the teams, the cars, the crew, and the motorhomes with them, arrived at the track.

Thursday 5th April- Press Conference

Again, 5 drivers were randomly chosen to be interviewed by the press. These were: Eudora, new driver Mimi Sonatelli, Violette Honfleur, Joe Agate, and Violet Gray.

I: Eudora, your team haven't scored since the opening round in Delaware, how do you plan on rectifying that?

Eudora: this is a very fast track that rewards top speed over everything else, so I think that will definitely level the playing field, and we have a good chance of success, I think.

I: Mimi, welcome to Spindycar, this is your first race; how are you settling in? What are you feeling? What are these cars like to drive?

Mimi: I'm doing fine at the moment. I haven't driven the car in anger yet, but I'm pleased to be here. I'd have hoped it was under better circumstances, but sometimes that's how it is.

I: Violette, you finished 4th last time, do you think you can do that again?

Violette: We'll have to see, won't we?

I: Joe Agate, you nearly scored your team's first points, how long, do you think, can they wait before they start losing patience with you?

Joe Agate: Hopefully we'll score points soon. Last week was our best result, so I'm hoping we can do better here.

I: Violet, you've had 2 points finishes on the bounce, you think you can get a third?

Violet: Sure I can. The car's good enough, and it suits my driving style nicely.

I: Thank you

Saturday 7th April

After final practice was over, everyone could see it was going to be a close qualifying session. The track was essentially testing the cars' top speed, and given that this is a spec series, a lot of the lower end of the grid were looking forward to setting a time.

Marcie was the first to go out, setting a time of 0:41.914, before Franklin followed with a 0:42.021. Linus then beat both of them, setting a time of 0:41.851. New driver Mimi set a time of 0:41.938, ahead of her team mate Franklin. Schroeder then set a time of 0:41.904.

Eudora surprised many with a time of 0:41.863, before Morag set a time of 0:41.883. Shermy Plepler then shockingly set the fastest time of 0:41.837, before Violet followed with a 0:41.899. Pierre beat Violet with a time of 0:41.886, before Rerun set provisional pole with a 0:41.831. Frieda squeezed ahead of Morag with a 0:41.882, before Thibault set a time of 0:42.410 and Patty Swanson set a time of 0:41.842.

Five then set a time of 0:41.889, which put him in front of Violet, before Harold Angel set a time of 0:41.876, and José Peterson set a time of 0:41.869. Cormac tapped the wall on his first lap, which meant he set a 0:43.348, putting him last.

Sally Brown then went out, setting a time of 0:41.927, before her brother Charlie Brown set pole with a 0:41.817. Violette then set a time of 0:41.935, before Peppermint Patty set a time of 0:41.855. Joe Agate then snuck behind her with a 0:41.856 before Lucy ended proceedings with a time of 0:41.891.

At the end of the session, the grid order looked like this…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:41.817 2nd Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:41.831

3rd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:41.837 4th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:41.842

5th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:41.851 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:41.855

7th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:41.856 8th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:41.863

9th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:41.869 10th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:41.876

11th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:41.882 12th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:41.883

13th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:41.886 14th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:41.889

15th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:41.891 16th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:41.899

17th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:41.904 18th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:41.914

19th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:41.927 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:41.935

21st Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0:41.938 22nd Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:42.021

23rd Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:42.410 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:43.348

After Qualifying, the top three qualifiers were interviewed.

I: Charlie Brown, this is your second pole position in a row. Do you think you can take the championship lead tomorrow?

Charlie Brown: I hope so. I'm going to try my best to keep everyone behind me, but it's going to be a challenge.

I: Rerun, you seem to fit in as no. 2 to Charlie Brown. Is the team going to encourage racing between you two?

Rerun: We certainly want to be racing each other. We won't hit each other, but I'm not going to give way as this point in the season.

I: Shermy, usually you are at the back, where has your sudden turn of speed come from?

Shermy: I don't know, honestly. Around here, we actually go fast, that might have helped.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Morag was also interviewed.

I: Morag, you've qualified 12th, not where you want to be, is it?

Morag: No it isn't. I must say, Eudora was right when she said this place was a great leveller, because it's certainly done that. I'll have to work hard to keep my championship lead.

I: Thank you.

Sunday 8th April – Race Day in Michigan

As the cars waited on the grid, Charlie Brown was again on pole, hoping to take the championship lead. As the mechanics and VIPs left the oval, the announcer's voice was heard.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Start your Engines!"

Charlie Brown did so, as did all the other drivers.

"As the pace car leads the cars around the track, these drivers will have 70 laps to battle it out for the top spot of the podium, and as the cars approach the starting line the Michigan Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Rerun got a great start, sneaking past Charlie Brown at the turn one, whilst Shermy slipped back to fourth before the lap was over. By the end of lap 5, Marcie had made her way up to 16th, and Mimi had passed Violette into 20th. Shermy was passed by Linus on lap 8, whilst Eudora passed Joe Agate on lap 10. On lap 17, Schroeder ran into engine trouble and had to pull off into the pitlane to retire the car. By lap 20, Morag had made her way past Frieda, before Eudora Passed Joe Agate in a daring move on lap 23.

By lap 30, Sally had made her way past Violet into 17th, Cormac overtook Thibault, and Franklin overtook Violette. On lap 34, Peppermint Patty passed Shermy, moving into 5th place. On lap 38, Morag coolly passed her teammate Harold Angel into 10th place.

By lap 40, Frieda had also passed Harold Angel. 3 laps later, Marcie passed Lucy at the final turn, before, on lap 47, Linus passed Patty Swanson to move up into 3rd place. The race began to settle down, with Rerun enjoying a comfortable lead, whilst Charlie Brown patiently stayed behind him. On lap 52, Morag made her way into 9th, passing José Peterson. On lap 60, Eudora then Passed Shermy, taking 6th place. On lap 64, Linus made a pass on Charlie Brown into 2nd place.

Sally had a scary moment as her tyre exploded on the end of lap 67. Amazingly she held the skid and was able to bring the car back to the pits without hitting the wall, where they promptly retired the car. The debris on the circuit however, meant the race was brought under yellows for the remaining 3 laps. This meant that.

"Rerun Van Pelt wins in Michigan! Linus Van Pelt is 2nd, Charlie Brown is 3rd, Patty Swanson takes 4th, with Eudora Elm 5th, Patricia Reichardt in 6th, Shermly Plepler in 7th, Joe Agate in 8th, Morag McMurdo in 9th, and José Peterson in 10th. Frieda Rich was 11th, with Harold Angel 12th, Pierre Fermier 13th, 555 95472 in 14th, Marcie Johnson in 15th, Lucy Van Pelt 16th, Violet Gray 17th, Mimi Sonatelli 18th, Franklin Armstrong 19th, Violette Honfleur 20th, Cormac O'Connor 21st and Thibault Rhodes 22nd.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 48pts 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 47pts

3rd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 42pts 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 40pts

5th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 39pts 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 35pts

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 35pts 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 31pts

9thFranklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts 10th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 25pts

11th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 19pts 12th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 18pts

13th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 16pts 14th Patty Swanson [ACE] 16pts

15th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 13pts 16th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts

17th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 10pts 18th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

19th Sally Brown [Polestar] 6pts 20th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 6pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 4pts 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

23rd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1pt 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts

Rerun parked his car on Victory Road, and raised his arms in celebration, before high fiving Charlie Brown and receiving congratulations from his team. The three podium finishers then went upstairs to the waiting room. In the waiting room, Linus congratulated his brother on the win, and Charlie Brown praised the two of them for their good racing.

Everyone stood still and silent as the American anthem played, and the American flags unfurled. The French anthem played after the American one finished. When that was over, the competitors celebrated in front of the fans, drank their milk and left for the pressroom.

In the pressroom, the interviewers had a few questions for them.

I: Rerun, your first win of the season, how does it feel?

Rerun: I can't really describe it. It feels incredible. I really wasn't expecting it. I'm very thankful for the team for bringing a car that worked well here.

I: Linus, you fought your way up from 5th, how tough was that for you, given the nature of this track?

Linus: It was certainly a hard race. I'm happy though that it ended well, there was a lot of hard and fair racing today, and I think we all made a good impression.

I: Charlie Brown, you could have won two races in a row, do you have any regrets?

Charlie Brown: Not really. I could have fought my way past, with a bit of effort, but I also didn't want to jeopardise mine and other people's races by doing a stupid move, so I played it a bit safe. I'm leading the championship, I heard, so I've got that going for me.

I: Thank you.

Down in the paddock, Morag was also interviewed.

I: Morag, a hard race today? You fought your way up to 9th.

Morag: You could say that. I'm glad I managed to get something out of it. It's still very close in the championship, I might add, so watch this space.

I: Thank you.

The drivers all went to their hotel for the night and went to sleep ready for the next morning.


	7. Race 6: Wisconsin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst Pig Pen recovers, Charlie Brown and co consider enlisting the help of an old friend, and they all move on to the next race

Monday 9th April

With a two week break before the next round in Wisconsin, the drivers took the opportunity to recuperate from the previous day's racing. Around mid-morning, Charlie Brown and Linus met up at a nearby local Café.

"How are you, Linus?

"I'm good thanks, Charlie Brown. I suppose we should become rivals soon?" Linus replied.

"I don't like the sound of that, rivalries don't tend to end well. I like us being friends, especially when we don't know what the people running the show are up to." Charlie Brown answered.

"I see your point. Have you heard any news from Pig-Pen?" Linus asked.

"I rang his Mom, she said he'd been moved to a hospital close to home." Charlie Brown answered.

"I'll try and see if we can speak to him on the phone." Linus promised. "Knowing the doctors, it'll probably be during visiting hours. I'll let you know when I pick up, if you're around to hear it."

At that moment, Morag also entered the café.

"Oh, Hi there Charlie Brown, Linus." She smiled. "You keeping Linus in the loop, I see?"

"Is that okay with you?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Oh yes. It's better for everyone that we know what the organisers are up to. It keeps us safe." Morag replied.

"Is there anything new we should know?" Charlie Brown added.

"I'm going to do some more research this week. You'll hear from me when we get to Road America."

"Okay. If I hear anything, I'll let you know too." Charlie Brown replied. Morag left the conversation and went to the counter to order food.

That evening, the Phone in Linus' hotel room rang, and Linus picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Linus, its Pig Pen. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine. More importantly, how are you doing?" Linus asked.

"I'm doing better. I'm on crutches at the moment." Pig Pen replied. "I'll be checked out of the hospital tomorrow, and recovering at home."

"That's nice to know." Linus replied, tapping on the wall so that Charlie Brown could hear it from the room across from him. Charlie Brown got the message, and walked over from his room and into Linus' room. "I have Charlie Brown here if you want to speak with him."

"Ok." Pig Pen replied.

"Hi Pig Pen." Charlie Brown spoke into the telephone. "I'm sorry we couldn't visit you in person, but you know we aren't really able to suddenly leave without the organisers getting panicked.

"I know, I know. I watched the race on the TV yesterday. You and Linus did very well. I hear you're leading the championship now."

"It's still close. You're only 13 points behind me." Charlie Brown replied.

"Can I tell you something interesting?" Pig Pen asked.

"Sure." Charlie Brown listened.

"This morning, there was a reporter who wanted to do an interview with me. You know Roy? Pig Pen explained.

"Roy? As in Roy from Peppermint Patty's neighbourhood? He's not a reporter is he?" Charlie Brown asked.

"No, but his dad works for Minneapolis Sports Weekly." Pig Pen clarified.

"I see. Does his dad go to the races?"

"Apparently. Roy said to me his dad would let him tag along to the race at Road America."

"Oh, cool. What about you?" Charlie Brown replied.

"I should be there too. I won't be fit to race, but I'll be in the paddock. Franklin's team are nice people." Pig Pen promised.

"Okay. See you soon." Charlie Brown replied.

"Will do. Bye for now." Pig Pen hung up.

Charlie Brown and Linus sat for a moment as Charlie Brown put the phone down.

"What's up?" Linus asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." Charlie Brown got up and left, returning to his room.

Linus sat and wondered what Charlie Brown was thinking of. He'd heard the conversation about Roy, and thought it might have something to do with him. That night, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept for the night.

Wednesday 11th April

With an extra week until the next race in Wisconsin, the drivers took the opportunity to get some extra training in. Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Franklin all went for a run, whilst Morag, Harold, Rerun and Sally hit the gym. Linus and Lucy swam some lengths at a local community pool, and Pig Pen was recovering at home, adapting to walking on crutches, while Mimi, Frieda, Schroeder and Violet were playing tennis. José, Cormac, Patty, Shermy and Pierre were playing baseball. Thibault and Joe continued to run the same marbles ring they had before, whilst Violette, Five, Harold Angel, and Eudora did some martial arts.

Sunday 15th April

Charlie Brown and Morag sat next to each other in a church in Brooklyn, Michigan. The rest of the drivers there occupied two pews, as they watched and listened to the sermon. They kept quiet, only exchanging the occasional glance now and then, and when the time came for prayer, Charlie Brown, Morag and a number of others prayed, both for Pig Pen's continued recovery, and their own safety. After the service was over, they had refreshments and then left to go about their day.

Monday 16th April

Those who didn't score points last time around wanted to get to Road America ahead of the party bus. At around 10am, Frieda, Schroeder, and Cormac left in the Opel Astra, while Thibault sat alone in the Volkswagen Touareg. Lucy, Mimi, Franklin and Pierre took the Honda Civic, Sally, Violette and Harold went in Volvo XC90, whilst Marcie, Five and Violet left in the Jeep Cherokee.

The Party bus left at 11am that morning, with all of the point scorers on board. Charlie Brown, Morag and Linus all sat at the front of the bus as it trundled down the highway.

"So, any developments?" Morag asked.

"Yes, actually." Charlie Brown smiled. "So, we have a friend, called Roy, and his father is a reporter for Minneapolis Sports Weekly. They're both going to be here this week. Roy's dad is letting him tag along."

"If we can get Roy paddock access, maybe we can get some info on what his dad knows." Morag paralleled Charlie Brown's thought process.

"That's what I was thinking." Charlie Brown replied. "Have you found anything new?"

"Not really. It's hard to pinpoint who's funding it when they don't show their faces. They'll turn up at the weekend, at whatever VIP seats they sit in, so until then we'll have to sit tight." Morag replied.

"Okay. I'll let you know if I find any leads." Charlie Brown replied. The party bus continued until it reached Road America at around 5pm.

On Tuesday 17th, the press, the teams, the cars, the crew and the motorhomes with them, arrived at the track.

Thursday 19th April

Another 5 random drivers were picked for the morning's press conference. These 5 drivers were: Frieda, Sally Brown, Harold Angel, Lucy Van Pelt, and Linus Van Pelt.

I: Frieda, you've made quite a name for yourself with your safe and skilful driving. How far do you think the car can take you this weekend?

Frieda: I'm hoping I can get in the top 10, I want to be at the front scoring points in the championship.

I: Sally, Eudora managed to get the car in the points last time around, why not you?

Sally: Eudora managed to get a good time in. I wasn't very far behind her, but the margins at Michigan were tiny, so it ended up a lot worse than it actually was.

I: Harold Angel, the difference between you and Morag was clear as day at Michigan, how do you plan to assert your value to the team?

Harold Angel: All I can do is to qualify well, and hopefully ahead of my teammate.

I: Lucy, your teammate managed to break the deadlock your team has been suffering as of late, when will you break yours?

Lucy: Hopefully this weekend. I want to win, I'm not here just to make up the numbers.

I: Linus, you fought your way to a podium last time around, what do you think of your current championship prospects?

Linus: I'm only 6 points behind Charlie Brown, and we have plenty of races to go, I think I'm in with a good shot of winning.

I: Thank You.

After the round of interviews was over, Linus walked over to the reporters, stopping at a reporter sliding papers into his bag, with Roy standing behind him.

"I'm looking for a Frank Tripps?" Linus spoke.

"Yes, that's me. What do you need? I have work to do." The reporter replied without batting an eye.

"Dad, stop what you're doing and look for one moment." Roy tapped him lightly on the arm. Frank looked over.

"Oh, Linus. Roy here says you and Charlie Brown are friends of his. I didn't believe it, given the spotlight.

"We are friends." Linus affirmed. "There's a couple of people who want to meet you downstairs."

"Lead the way." Frank replied. Frank and Roy followed Linus downstairs and into the paddock, where Charlie Brown and Morag were waiting patiently outside.

"Hi Charlie Brown." Roy greeted.

"Hello, Roy, Mr Tripps." Morag replied.

"You wanted to speak to me?" Frank asked.

"Yes, well, what we wanted to say was…" Charlie Brown began, before turning to look at Morag.

"We don't really trust the people at the top running the sport, nor do we really trust most of the reporters."

"Myself included?" Frank asked.

"Maybe, but we do trust Roy." Charlie Brown. "We'd like some help."

"What have you got in mind?" Roy wondered aloud.

"I can engineer a way for Roy to get a season paddock pass, and basically, we give Roy access, Roy can show you what he's seen, and in return, you can find out for us who's running the show, why are they running it, and why won't they tell us anything?" Morag laid out the deal.

"The organisers were oddly antsy when Pig Pen got hurt, we think they have something to hide." Charlie Brown added urgently.

"It's in the interest of our own safety to know what's going on." Linus circled round to join Charlie Brown and Morag.

"I understand. Are you up for this sort of thing, Roy?" Frank asked.

"Absolutely." Roy nodded enthusiastically.

"Then it's a deal." Frank and Morag shook hands, before everyone walked away, back to their respective quarters.

Saturday 21st April

After final practice was over, everyone wanted to get onto the track for qualifying, and eventually, it started. Thibault was the first to go out, setting a time of 2:04.713, which Franklin then beat with a time of 1:56.151, and Five then set a 2:01.097. Sally then bested that with a 1:54.421, swiftly followed by Patty Swanson, who set a 1:54.554. Lucy Van Pelt then set a time of 1:55.453, before Joe Agate disappointed himself with a time of 2:04.380. Schroeder set a time of 1:54.849, before Pierre surprised everyone, again, with a 1:53.899, using the same calm and relaxed driving style that worked wonders in Connecticut to put himself on provisional pole for the time being.

Peppermint Patty followed with a time of 1:54.335 and Cormac posted a time of 1:58.921. Eudora beat her teammate with a time of 1:54.156, before Morag set a time of 1:55.941. José Peterson squeaked ahead of her with a 1:55.861, before Charlie Brown set a time of 1:56.307. Frieda then shocked everyone, by sneaking ahead of Pierre with a time of 1:53.880, this despite the fact she went wide onto the grass on her pole lap.

After that, it was Violette's turn, she set a lap time of 1:55.734, before Shermy improved on that with a time of 1:55.234. Rerun qualified just behind him, with a time of 1:55.333, before Marcie went 3rd with a 1:53.975. Violet Gray set a 1:57.227, which Mimi beat with a 1:56.574. Linus then set a 1:55.717, before Harold Angel closed off the session with a 1:56.415.

At the end of the session, the grid order was as follows…

1st Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:53.880 2nd Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:53.899

3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:53.975 4th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:54.156

5th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:54.241 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:54.335

7th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 1:54.554 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:54.849

9th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:55.234 10th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:55.333

11th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:55.453 12th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:55.717

13th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:55.734 14th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:55.861

15th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:55.941 16th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:56.151

17th Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:56.307 18th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:56.415

19th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 1:56.574 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:57.227

21st Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:58.921 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2:01.097

23rd Joe Agate [Sky] 2:04.380 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 2:04.713

After Qualifying had ended, the top three qualifiers were interviewed.

I: Frieda, we spoke to you on Thursday about your driving style and your prospects for today, how do you think your driving style contributed to your second pole of the season?

Frieda: I think it mattered a lot here. Pierre has a similar style to me, and he's not far back. I'm very comfortable with the track.

I: Pierre, you've surprised us again, do you think you can take a second win?

Pierre: Frieda seems very confident, but I will be fighting hard for a win, and if not, a podium.

I: Marcie, with your main championship rivals far behind you, your prospects of taking the championship lead seem likely. Do you have any strategies to win here?

Marcie: I can't say. That would be spoiling it. (She gives a coy smile)

I: Thank you.

Championship leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed.

I: 17th place really wasn't what you were hoping for this morning was it? What happened out there?

Charlie Brown: I'm not really sure. I'll just have to do my best tomorrow and hope Marcie doesn't win the race from, I think, 3rd.

I: Thank you.

At the end of the day, the drivers went to their hotels and slept, ready for race day.

Sunday 22nd April – Race Day in Wisconsin

As the cars waited on the grid, Frieda was calm and cool as she sat in her car, on pole, waiting for the announcer to get on with the starting procedure. Eventually after what felt like an age, the announcer finally began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!" Frieda did so, as did the other drivers. Not long later the cars were led around the track by the pace car.

Announcer: as the cars are led around the track, the drivers will have 25 laps to battle it out here at Road America. And as the cars approach the starting line, the Wisconsin Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!

Frieda led as the cars hurried into the first corner, Pierre getting leapfrogged at the start by Marcie and Eudora. Frieda had the measure of the track, and she quickly began to pull a tangible lead from the rest of the field. Rerun overtook Shermy at the final turn to take 9th place by the end of lap 1. By the end of lap 3, Charlie Brown had got past Franklin, and Violette had dropped behind both of them, seemingly having a problem with the car, which was then proven right on lap 4, when she retired with an alternator failure parking safely away from the track. Joe Agate had moved into 20th by the end of that lap.

Marcie and Eudora battled for second place on lap 5, with Eudora trying to make room for a pass. Meanwhile Sally waited behind Pierre, eventually overtaking him on lap 8. Shermy continued to hold back a train of cars behind him, his lack of race pace evidently on show, but it wasn't until lap 11 before he was passed by Lucy Van Pelt at turn 5, before being passed again by Linus and José at turn 6. Morag and Charlie Brown also overtook Shermy, when they rounded the final corner. On lap 15, Peppermint Patty also made her way past Pierre, and Schroeder got past Patty Swanson.

On lap 18, José broke incredibly early on the approach to turn 6, which caught out Morag, and she wasn't able to avoid him in time. José got spun out, and retired with damage to the rear wheel, whilst Morag had front damage to her wheel and wing. Both drivers exited their cars and walked away unharmed, and the safety car was brought out whilst the stricken cars were cleared.

Racing got back underway on lap 22, and Frieda began to pull away again. Eudora finally pulled Marcie into her slipstream and overtook her in a brave move through the kink. Elsewhere, Rerun chased after Patty, and Schroder was right behind Pierre's gearbox, but neither of them could make a pass before the end of the race.

"And Frieda Rich wins in Wisconsin! Eudora finishes 4 seconds behind in 2nd, and Marcie takes 3rd! Sally Brown is 4th, Patricia Reichardt 5th, Pierre Fermier 6th, Schroeder 7th, Patty Swanson 8th, Rerun Van Pelt is 9th, and Lucy Van Pelt rounds out the top 10!"

"Linus Van Pelt was 11th, Charlie Brown 12th, Shermy was 13th, Franklin 14th, Harold Angel 15th, Mimi 16th, Violet 17th, Joe Agate 18th, Cormac 19th, Five 20th and Thibault was 21st.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 55pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 48pts

3rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 47pts 4th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 45pts

5th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 44pts 6th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 42pts

7th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 41pts 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 37pts

9thEudora Elm [Polestar] 36pts 10th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 35pts

11th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts 12th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts

13th Patty Swanson [ACE] 20pts 14th Sally Brown [Polestar] 18pts

15thJosé Peterson [Daihatsu] 16pts 16th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 13pts

17th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts 18th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 11pts

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts 20th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 6pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 4pts 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

23rd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1pt 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts

Frieda parked her car on victory road and got out of her car, receiving bountiful cheers and applause from the fans, as well as her team, who congratulated her, before walking up to the podium. In the waiting room, Marcie and Eudora complimented Frieda on her speed as well as each other for their good racing. Once they were up on the podium proper, the three of them stood silently as the American anthem played, and the three American flags unfurled. The German anthem played after the American anthem finished. After that, the podium finishers drank their milk and celebrated with their trophies, before heading off towards the pressroom.

In the pressroom, the interviewers had questions for them.

I: Frieda, a dominant victory, unlike any we've seen this season. What are your thoughts on mounting a championship challenge?

Frieda: well, obviously it's still early on, but the championship is a lot closer today.

I: Eudora, you fought your way up from 4th, how proud do you feel to take your team's first podium?

Eudora: For sure, me and Sally had a great race, and we scored a lot of points for our team. I'd like to thank the team for getting the car setup and also Marcie for a fair and honest battle.

I: Marcie, you lead the championship now, 7 points ahead of your nearest rival. How do you plan to keep it?

Marcie: I want to have a win next time out, I don't have any yet, and that would be the next logical step.

I: Thank you.

The 2nd place driver in the Championship, Charlie Brown, was also interviewed.

I: Not the best race for you, was it?

Charlie Brown: You could say that. At least I'm not too far behind in the championship. I'm sure I can make up the difference next race.

I: Thank you.

The drivers all went to their hotel and went to bed, ready for the next morning.


	8. Race 7: South Dakota

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang move on to the next race, as Pig Pen recovers from his accident, and Roy begins collecting stories.

Monday 23rd April

That morning, at 10am, the party bus left, with all of the top 10 finishers on board. Both Marcie and Peppermint Patty were on it and sitting at the front, and inevitably, they got to talking.

"Sir? I want to ask you something." Marcie began.

"Don't call me sir, but do go on." Peppermint Patty replied gruffly.

"Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes, about what the organisers do, and everything?"

"No, Marcie. I'm just here to race, and to win. If you and Charlie Brown and the others want to find out the whys and the what-fors, that's fine, but I'm not bothered about any of that stuff. I'm sure they know what they're doing." Peppermint Patty replied.

"You looking forward to the next race, sir?"

"Yep. I'm going to get some shut-eye. It'll be a long week." And Peppermint Patty leaned back and closed her eyes, while Marcie watched the view from the window.

For the others, it was another long and boring car ride, this time to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Five, Linus, Charlie Brown, Violette and Cormac all took the Jeep Cherokee, whilst Mimi, Franklin, and Pig Pen, now confidently walking with a boot, were in the Armstrong's car. Thibault and Joe Agate were in the Volkswagen Touareg, grumbling as usual, whilst Morag, Harold Angel, and Jose Peterson were in the Isdera team's Mercedes, and Violet and Shermy were driven in a Ford Ka. They arrived at 5:30, roughly ten minutes after the Party bus arrived at Sioux Falls Airport Circuit. The regional airport was closed for the week, for the race, and Schroeder studied the corners on a map, noticing the two short right hand curves, one a 110 degree turn, and a long right hand 180 degree hairpin turn. It was much like an oval, only it was flat, and clockwise.

Charlie Brown thought about speaking to Morag, but decided against it. Roy hasn't had much time to dig for clues, a meeting now would be pointless, he thought.

The drivers all went to a hotel in Sioux Falls, where they would be staying for the week, and slept, waiting for the next day.

On Tuesday 24th, the press, the teams, the cars, the crew and the motorhomes with them, arrived at the track.

Thursday 26th April

As with the previous races, 5 drivers were chosen to be interviewed for the Pre-Race press conference. These drivers were: Violette, Cormac, Lucy Van Pelt, Charlie Brown, and Schroeder.

I: Violette, you haven't had the greatest share of luck so far, do you think you could score points here, like you did in Michigan?

Violette: I hope so. The track appears to be quite simple. It shouldn't be too difficult to set a good time around here.

I: Cormac, you sit third from last in the championship. What can you do to rectify that, realistically?

Cormac: I need to qualify well in order to be in a position to score points, and also not crash.

I: Lucy, there is a large points difference between you and Peppermint Patty in the championship. Is the team considering making Patty the No.1 driver?

Lucy: as long as I can still win the championship, everyone has agreed there will be no team orders. Peppermint Patty knows it, I know it, the team knows it.

I: Charlie Brown, you're right in the thick of the championship fight. Do you see any rivalries brewing in the near future?

Charlie Brown: friendly ones, sure. We all respect each other, and we all have competitive sides. No one's going to be falling out, I don't think.

I: Schroeder, you and Frieda have one win apiece. Do you think there will be a repeat winner this time around?

Schroeder: Hopefully yes, I do still want to win, after all. Frieda's giving me a good challenge, though.

I: Thank you

Friday 27th April

Roy fetched his notepad and pen as he scoured the paddock for any important news. His first port of call was the Renault team motor home, where Charlie Brown and Rerun were studying the track layout, so they could work out optimal corner entry speeds and such. Roy knocked on the door and waited for one of the team to open the door.

"Morning!" Roy smiled cheerfully at the Renault team member.

"Oh, hello. You must be Roy. Charlie Brown told us to expect you, why don't you come on in?" the team member replied. Roy gladly obliged and saw Charlie Brown and Rerun sitting on a sofa, comparing notes. Charlie Brown looked up from his notes.

"Ah, Roy! How are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine thanks. What are you doing?" Roy replied.

"Me and Rerun are checking our notes for the session tomorrow."

"Aren't you competing against each other though?" Roy asked.

"Oh sure. But if we both have lots of points, the team will be a lot happier." Charlie Brown replied. "Does that answer your question?"

"I guess." Roy replied. "I'm a bit new to this journalism thing."

"Well, I'm sure there's plenty of other teams to find stories for." Rerun eagerly pointed out.

"Got it." Roy replied, as he got up and walked his way out of the Team Renault motor home. Next on his list was Linus's Vittoria team, but the sound of a wheelgun from one of the garages drew away his attention. As he made his way to the garage, it became clear that the Armstrong team were practicing their pit stops (not that they're that common in the Spindycar series, the tyres are designed to last a full race distance). What was more surprising was that Pig Pen was sitting in the car, and Mimi was sitting in the garage. Seeing that Pig Pen was busy, Roy walked over to Mimi, who was staring blankly at Pig Pen's car.

"You seem out of it." Roy spoke.

"Yeah. Doctor came half an hour ago. Pig Pen's been declared fit to race." Mimi replied.

"Well that's wonderful news. For him anyway." Roy replied. "I take it that means you're out of a seat."

"Uh-huh." Mimi sighed dejectedly. "As the series reserve, I don't race unless somebody else is unable to. Be it if they're injured, ill, or throwing some sort of tantrum, I'll be ready, again."

"I remember getting a letter saying I was second reserve, but that seems unlikely to happen." Roy replied.

"So, what, you're the official press boy now?" Mimi asked.

"I wouldn't say official, but essentially yes." Roy answered.

"Well, you're lucky then. I don't think we've told anyone else Pig Pen is racing. You can go now."

"Alright then. See you soon!" Roy replied, as he got up and walked away from the garage. It was nearing lunchtime, and he was due to meet with his father at a nearby food stall. On his way there, he walked past the Team Sky motorhome, where a loud argument was emanating from inside, loud enough for Roy to hear.

"She might just get lucky today." Roy chuckled to himself, deciding not to get involved. As he arrived at the food stall, his father Frank was already waiting. The two of them bought hot dogs from the stall, and then sat down.

"So, how was it? Did you find anything?" Frank asked him.

"Well, for starters, Pig Pen's fit to race." Roy began.

"Is he now? Do go on." Frank replied, as Roy regaled what he had seen and heard in the past hour.

"…anyway, there was some shouting going on at the Sky motorhome, so there clearly something wrong there."

"Team looks like a bunch of trucking bankers at the moment." Frank replied. "Thibault's wearing their patience thin, I gather."

"Is there anything you have to tell me?" Roy asked, taking a bite.

"Of course, I've been doing some digging, and…" Frank spoke in hushed whispers while Roy took detailed notes.

"Got it. I'll let them know about it when I can." Roy replied. The two of them ate their lunch, and spent the rest of the day together, taking in the sights and also pictures of the cars. Before long, the day was over, and everyone, including the drivers, returned to the hotel and went to bed, ready for qualifying the next day.

Saturday 28th April

After final practice had finished, everyone was waiting and raring to go for qualifying, especially Pig Pen, who'd missed the last 3 races after his accident.

When it eventually started, Franklin was the first to go out, setting a time of 0:57.047, before Marcie set a time of 0:57.497, subsequently spinning her car at high speed on her final lap. Harold Angel then beat her time with a 0:57.299, before Thibault Rhodes, under pressure to set a good time, went fastest with a 0:55.970. This was quickly beaten by Morag, who set a 0:55.896, before Pierre set a time of 0:56.075. Charlie Brown then went fastest with a 0:55.717, before Patty Swanson went slower with a time of 0:57.546.

Frieda, in a run of good form, posted a time of 0:55.023, almost 7 tenths quicker than Charlie Brown's time. Rerun then set a 0:57.240 before being forced to pull over after his gearbox broke on his second lap, and Cormac set a time of 0:55.419, putting him in 2nd place for the time being.

Seeing Frieda's speed and time meant quite a few of the other drivers felt brave enough to attack the corners more and (potentially) set faster lap times. Violette set a 0:55.267 before hitting the inside wall at high speed on her final lap, her car spearing off to the left as it skidded along the grass, coming to a stop a few metres from the wall, which, thanks to the airport's flatness and it's wide spaces, was a long way from the corner. Violette walked away from the car unharmed.

Next it was the long awaited return of Pig Pen, who after 4 weeks out of racing, set a blistering time of 0:54.657, putting him fastest, before Joe Agate went behind him with a 0:54.922. Violet Gray then set a 0:55.552, before Eudora posted a time of 0:56.746, and Shermy set a time of 0:55.949.

Schroeder did a perfect 360 degree spin on his outlap, keeping his car on the circuit, before setting a quick lap time of 0:55.219, putting him in 4th. Five then set a time of 0:56.097, which put him just behind Pierre, before Sally set a time of 0:55.871.

Lucy set a 0:54.996 to go third, before Linus set a 0:55.076 to go 5th. José Peterson then set a time of 0:55.445, and Peppermint Patty set the final time of 0:54.912.

At the end of the session, the grid order was as follows…

1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:54.657 2nd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:54.912

3rd Joe Agate [Sky] 0:54.922 4th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:54.996

5th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:55.023 6th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:55.076

7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:55.214 8th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:55.267

9th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:55.419 10th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:55.445

11th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:55.552 12th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:55.717

13th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:55.871 14th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:55.896

15th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:55.949 16th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:55.970

17th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:56.075 18th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:56.097

19th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:56.746 20th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:57.047

21st Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:57.240 22nd Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:57.299

23rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:57.497 24th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:57.546

After Qualifying was over, the top three qualifiers were interviewed.

I: Pig Pen, welcome back, first of all. How nice is it to be back in the game, and on pole too?

Pig Pen: Well, I'm very grateful to everyone that has helped me recover from the accident, and to the team as well, for having faith in me. The car felt really good today.

I: Peppermint Patty, recently you've had an uptick in form, what chances do you think of taking the championship lead tomorrow?

Peppermint Patty: Quite high, I should imagine. Marcie struggled today, and I am the best placed of the current contenders here to score points. (Pig Pen turned towards her and grinned, a face that read 'bring it on'.)

I: Joe Agate, you and your team have struggled so far this season. Is this the week we finally see what the car is capable of?

Joe Agate: Damn right it is. We ain't no laughing stock!

I: Uh, thank you.

Championship leader Marcie Johnson was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: Marcie, 23rd place. There's no argument that this isn't where you expected to be today, am I correct?

Marcie: Of course. I'm not sure what happened really. We should have been a lot faster, even Five was faster, and he only has two points.

I: Thank you.

As night fell, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept ready for race day tomorrow.

Sunday 29th April- Race Day in South Dakota

Morning broke over the horizon in Sioux Falls, and all the drivers were raring to go. As the cars were laid out on the grid, Pig Pen sat confidently in his pole-sitting car, glad to be back after 4 weeks, while the others were also eagerly anticipating the race's beginning. Soon after, the voice of the announcer could be heard.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Start your Engines!" Pig Pen did so, as did everyone else. The pace car then began to lead everyone on the formation lap.

"As the pace car leads our competitors, the drivers will have 40 laps in which they will battle for victory. As the cars approach the starting line, the South Dakota Spindycar Supertour Open is Go! The drivers sped down the straight, waiting for a better opportunity to overtake than the fast first corner, Marcie got past Harold Angel at the first corner.

As the cars bean to approach turn 2, Five weaved outside the racing line, and on reaching the corner, locked his brakes, causing him to careen past the others and shunt into the back of Charlie Brown, who in turn was shunted into Violet. All three of the cars retired from the race, with Violet and Charlie Brown parking their damaged cars next to the barrier, and Five walking away from his broken Orange Team Cherokee car, which came to a rest on the grass. The yellow flags were brought out while the marshals retrieved the stricken cars.

By lap 3, the racing was back underway, with Pig Pen and Peppermint Patty beginning to form a gap to the rest of the pack. Marcie got past Rerun on the back straight, before overtaking Franklin the same way the following lap. On lap 5, Lucy overtook Joe Agate going into the final hairpin, putting her in third for the moment. By the end of lap 9, Rerun had also got past Franklin, whilst Pierre had dropped behind Eudora.

On lap 11, Peppermint Patty took the lead. Three laps later, Thibault cleanly overtook Shermy in a daring move at turn 2. Sally was stuck behind José for a number of laps, and this became apparent when Morag charged past her on lap 16. Pig Pen regained the lead a lap later, and Marcie Over took Pierre on the start/finish straight going into lap 18. By the end of lap 22, Joe Agate had dropped to 5th, behind Frieda, whilst both Eudora and Marcie had overtaken Shermy, and had their sights set on Thibault.

On Lap 23, Violette was overtaken by Cormac, who slotted into 8th place. By this point, Lucy had begun to catch up to Peppermint Patty, and 5 laps later, she was right on her tail. She looked like she was trying to make a pass at every turn, and Patty drove defensively to try to stop her from overtaking. On the back straight, one lap later, Lucy pulled out of the slipstream, and began to pull alongside Peppermint Patty. Lucy barked as late as she could, and Peppermint Patty did the same, but there was less grip on the outside, and Peppermint Patty went wide onto the grass, dropping to 6th by the time she had got back on the track.

By lap 32, Rerun had overtaken Pierre, and Marcie had got past both Eudora and Thibault. A lap later, Eudora retired from the race with a hydraulic issue, pulling into the pits. Shermy also dropped behind Rerun on the approach to the final corner. On lap 35, Linus pulled up alongside Joe Agate and overtook him on the back straight, and two laps later, after spending a long time behind, Morag overtook José Peterson into the final corner to move up into 10th. Harold Angel then retired one lap from the end when his car suffered an electrical failure after the final turn, forcing him to pull off into the pits. Lucy wasn't able to make a pass on Pig Pen in the final laps, so as the cars rounded the final corner for the 40th and final time…

"Pig Pen wins in South Dakota! Lucy Van Pelt is second, followed by Frieda Rich in third! Linus Van Pelt was 4th, with Joe Agate 5th, Patricia Reichardt 6th, Schroeder 7th, Cormac 8th, Violette Honfleur 9th, and Morag in 10th. José Peterson was 11th, Sally Brown 12th, Marcie 13th, Thibault 14th, Rerun 15th, Shermy 16th, Pierre 17th, Franklin 18th, and Patty Swanson 19th."

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 60pts 2nd Frieda Rich [Bonn] 59pts

3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 55pts 4th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 54pts

5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 53pts 6th Charlie Brown [Renault] 48pts

7th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 48pts 8th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 43pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 41pts 10th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 36pts

11th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts 12th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts

13th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 29pts 14th Patty Swanson [ACE] 20pts

15th Sally Brown [Polestar] 18pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 16pts

17th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts 18th Joe Agate [Sky] 14pts

19th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 6pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts

Pig Pen parked his car on victory road and revelled in the raucous applause he received from the spectators and his team. A number of the other teams clapped, as a mark of respect for Pig Pen's achievement, whilst he and the two behind him walked up to the podium. In the waiting room, Pig Pen and Frieda exchanged congratulations, whilst Lucy ignored the pair of them before they went out onto the podium. The three of them stood still and waited as the 3 American flags unfurled and the American anthem played. In addition the drivers received their trophies and drank their milk, before heading away to the pressroom.

Inside, the interviewers had questions for them.

I: Pig Pen, last time we spoke to you, you were leading the championship, and now here we are again, how does it feel to be back at the front?

Pig Pen: Today was the best day I've had in a very very long time, and I'm very happy to be here, and I can't wait for the next round. Thank you to everyone that got me here well enough to win, you've been a great help.

I: Lucy, you and your teammate had a pretty close quarters race, do you have any thoughts on that?

Lucy: I had the corner, and I think Peppermint Patty will agree, and she'll learn for next time not to play chicken with me.

I: Frieda, your second podium in a row puts you one point behind Pig Pen in the championship. Is it now time to start seriously considering a title challenge?

Frieda: You asked me this question last time, and really, I've been pushing to get the best results I can this season, whether I'm 12th in the championship or second, my mindset will still be the same, I put in 100% in every race, so basically, my answer is yes.

I: Thank you.

The third place runner in the championship, Marcie was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: 23rd to 13th, a good effort, but not enough for points today, is this a race to forget for you?

Marcie: I think that's fair. I tried my best, as you saw, but obviously I can only climb so many positions. I'm happy to still only be 5 points off the lead, so we'll hopefully iron out any problems by the next race.

I: Thank you.

That night, the drivers, and everyone else, went to their hotels and slept, ready for the next morning.


	9. Race 8: Colorado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown, Morag, Linus and Roy have an illuminating discussion, whilst Thibault is faced with an ultimatum, as they all move on to the next race.

Monday 30th April

With two weeks until the next race, all the way over in Colorado, the drivers were taking their time to enjoy what the city of Sioux Falls had to offer them, especially since they would be leaving earlier than usual. Frieda, Pig Pen and Schroeder went out to enjoy the scenery, taking a walk around the nearby Covell Lake.

Meanwhile, Roy had invited Charlie Brown, Linus, and Morag to a local café in the south end of town. The four of them gathered around a table, eating lunch while waiting for Roy to talk.

"So, Roy, you learn anything?" Morag asked, taking a sip of coffee.

"Well, I haven't received any names as of yet, but Frank has confirmed to me that the press, by and large, are indeed serving the interests of the organisers."

"As we suspected." Charlie Brown replied.

"They are asked not to bring the series into disrepute for the benefit of the stakeholders." Roy added.

"Stakeholders?" Morag asked. "You sure?"

"Yes, apparently there are interested parties from outside the company that hold sway over them."

"Like investors and such?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Possibly." Roy responded. "Which would explain why they'd have a shell company to store everyone's money."

"And their general dishonesty." Linus complained. "What happened at Watkins Glen proved the press are prepared to ignore anything to keep the show going."

"Hold it." Morag interrupted. "You guys must remember that most of the free press act like hungry wolves. They will jump at anything they can get their hands on. It's clear from what Linus is saying that the press are being restrained."

"That's what I was saying." Linus replied. "We know that for a fact now. All that remains is who's in charge, and what they are planning."

"Agreed. I will get my dad to look into it further. Good luck at the next race." Roy finished his tea and left, leaving the three of them sitting at the table.

"What are they planning?" Charlie Brown asked. "I mean, I know there's a lot of money involved, but if they picked us specifically, there's got to be more to it than that."

"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Morag replied, as she finished her coffee. "I trust Roy." Charlie Brown and Linus nodded in agreement, as they also drank, before the three of them left the café, and returned to their hotel.

Thursday 3rd May

As promised, the teams did depart early for Colorado. The top ten party bus left at 7am, as did Marcie, Five, Violet, Franklin and José in the Cherokee Jeep, and Thibault in the Volkswagen Touareg. The others, consisting of Charlie Brown, Rerun, Pierre and Harold Angel in a Renault Megane, Sally, Eudora, Franklin and Patty Swanson in the Polestar's Volvo XC90, all left about 15 minutes later.

Most of the racers slept for much of the journey, which took about 12 hours to get to. Once they were there, they all went to a nearby hotel, where they ate and then slept for the night. The press and mechanics and crew took until Saturday to haul all of their stuff across two states, but the track was ready and waiting on Sunday for the next week's race.

Monday 7th May

Having spent the past couple of days exercising and training for the race ahead, the drivers took it upon themselves to enjoy the sunshine and shade in the heat of the Colorado sun. The paddock was warm, and Roy was busily walking around the paddock, looking for a story. The garages were quiet, with several days before the drivers were due to practice, so Roy went further into the paddock, looking for the motorhomes. Most of them were quiet, and closed. 10:30am was the time most teams were holding team meetings, and they weren't to let anyone in for the time being, so Roy walked on has he watched the disapproving faces of security guards posted at every door.

The heat of the sun was getting to Roy. Frank had told him to stay hydrated, and he had, but the beaming rays were relentless, and Roy desperately needed some shade. The nearest shadow he could find cast itself over the back of the Team Sky motorhome so that's where he went. Roy rested against the wall as he drank from a bottle of water. As he leant, he became aware of noise coming from the other side.

"That's enough from you, Thibault!" he heard a distant shout. "All season you've done nothing but complain, and what do we get from you? NOTHING!

"What do you expect me to do? I'm just a kid!" he heard Thibault retort.

"So? That doesn't stop Joe, or any of the other racers. I can replace you easily, you know that!"

'This is golden.' Roy feverishly noted down the conversation on his notepad.

"You didn't answer my question!" Thibault answered back.

"I expect you to be scoring points! And if you aren't within sight of Joe's points haul in three races, you'll be out of the team for good. Understand?!"

"Could you be more specific?" Thibault asked.

"7 points! 3 races! Or you're gone! Now get out of my sight, before I change my mind."

"Yes, sir." Roy's expression deflated as he heard Thibault give a defeated sigh. He finished his note taking just as the sound of the motorhome's front door clumsily clattering open emanated from behind him. Roy quickly got up to avoid him, but Thibault walked round to the back and caught sight of him anyway.

"How long have you been there?" he asked, as Roy froze to the spot. "It's an honest question."

"I was just sitting in the shade." Roy diverted.

"Sure you were. I don't care if you heard anything." Thibault replied, as he shuffled closer.

"You don't?"

"I'm not sure you've noticed, but the manager isn't exactly a good person." Thibault inferred.

"You can talk." Roy scoffed.

"I can too. When the girls whoop your butt every week, you kinda start to respect them. Begrudgingly, i admit, since it goes against everything I was taught." Thibault replied. "Let's walk." And they did, out into the paddock, away from the prying ears of the garage, Roy noticed.

"Alright, what is it about the manager you wanted to say? You know what I heard, but if we're clear out here there's definitely something else.

"He has, uh, behavioural issues. Worse than mine." Thibault told him.

"Specifically?" Roy asked.

"Well, for starters, the day after the Glen race, his wife drove us to Michigan with a black eye, and we haven't seen her since."

"I see." Roy made a note of it. "That sounds like a matter for the…"

"I doubt they'd consider me a reliable source. Forget it." Thibault interrupted. "It won't result in anything. The sport's bosses probably already know."

"But why would the All American Motorsport Federation accept him if they knew that?" Roy asked.

"That's your job, not mine." Thibault shrugged his shoulders and walked away, leaving Roy standing gormlessly in the middle of the paddock. Realising where he was standing, he looked at his notes and walked to a nearby plastic table, complete with parasol, where his father was sitting.

"You look like you could use an ice cream." Frank said, handing him a strawberry 1-scoop on a cone.

"Yeah, thanks." Roy sat down and shoved his notepad over to Frank, who read it as carefully as he could.

"You've been busy. Are these notes verbatim?" Frank asked.

"Of course." Roy asked, as he began to eat his ice cream.

"Interesting." Frank read on to the bottom of the page. "Mind if I keep hold of this?"

"Sure you can, I'm done for today." Roy sighed. Frank left him alone to finish his ice cream, for now it his turn to do some digging.

"Get back to the hotel before 6, alright?" Frank told him.

"I will." Roy replied. He sat back his chair, admiring the blue sky over the track, and all of the bustle in the paddock below it. He was so absorbed by it that he didn't notice Charlie Brown approach him.

"Hey Roy." He chirped.

"What? Oh hi Charlie Brown." Roy turned to look at him, surprised.

"You had a good day so far?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Yep. Dad's gone to do some digging."

"I see. Mind if I sit down?"

"I don't see why not." Roy replied.

"You find anything?" Charlie Brown asked as he sat down.

"Thibault received an ultimatum from his boss. I heard from the other side of the walls."

"Heh, rumour was there was shouting last week too." Charlie Brown recalled. "How is Thibault taking it?"

"I dunno. He seems to have matured a bit, though I can't tell if the dirt he says he has on the manager is real or him just being a lying snake."

"Must be why your father took the notebook this time." Charlie Brown responded, noticing Roy was twiddling his thumbs.

Roy sighed. "I hope this thing works."

"Me too. Even if they miss the rumour, they'll definitely jump on the other story, which hopefully will let Frank do some more digging." Charlie Brown elaborated, before getting up.

"You going?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, team will want me back for the afternoon. See you around." And Charlie Brown left.

Roy continued to potter around the paddock, like any tourist would, until the end of the day, where he returned to the hotel in time for 6pm.

Thursday 10th May

Once again, another 5 drivers were called to be interviewed at the press conference. These 5 were: Pierre, Harold Angel, Violette, Frieda, and Violet.

I: Pierre, every race this season you're either right at the front or languishing at the back. How do you plan on improving your consistency?

Pierre: Simple. Stay at the front.

I: Harold Angel, you too have been frequently outshone by your teammate, how do you plan on recovering your season?

Harold Angel: I'd need to improve my qualifying, that seems to be my most major weak spot.

I: Violette, you managed to scrabble a couple of points from South Dakota, do you think you can do the same thing again here?

Violette: Well, we hope to do better. It would be nice if one of our team managed to get on the podium today. But of course we won't know what we have until we got until we go out on track."

I: Frieda, your consistent performances have put you just 1 point off the championship lead. What can you do to ensure you take the lead this weekend?"

Frieda: Score points, and finish ahead of him.

I: Violet, you were the innocent party in a three-car accident last time around, do you think you'll get a fairer shot this time around?

Violet: "I expect Five won't be locking his brakes again on this oval, so yes is your answer." she jibed.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 12th May

With the morning practice over, and qualifying just around the corner, everyone was eagerly waiting for qualifying to begin, and eventually it did. Franklin was the first to go out, setting a lap time of 0:26.701, which was swiftly beaten by Patty Swanson, who set a time of 0:26.611. Morag then set an unusually poor time of 0:26.990, which put her last for the time being, before Sally went fastest with a 0:26.441. Linus then set a 0:26.722, before Peppermint Patty put herself second with a time of 0:26.541, shuffling back into third when Rerun set a time of 0:26.511.

Frieda then took the top spot with a 0.26.440, one thousandth of a second faster than Sally's time. Five set a time of 0:26.724, just behind Linus, before Schroeder set a time of 0:26.463, which put him just behind Frieda and Sally. Harold Angel then snuck ahead of Franklin with a time of 0:26.694, before Thibault seta 0:26.685, and Marcie went 4th with a 0:26.470. Lucy set a time of 0:26.776, before Pierre set a time of 0:26.957, just ahead of Morag. Violette set a time of 0:29.381, her time seemingly compromised by damage, not that anyone could tell what it was.

Shermy, having found some good fortune, set a time of 0:26.470, identical to Marcie's, before his teammate Violet set a time of 0:26.793, putting her just behind Lucy. José Peterson set a time of 0:26.863, before Pig Pen put himself 6th with a 0:26.502. Eudora was not far behind him with a 0:26.559, before Cormac set a 0:27.048 to go second from last, and Charlie Brown set the final lap-time of the day, a 0:26.420, which put him on pole.

At the end of the session, the grid order was as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:26.420 2nd Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:26.440

3rd Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:26.441 4th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:26.463

5th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:26.470 6th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.470

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:26.502 8th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.511

9th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:26.541 10th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:26.559

11th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:26.611 12th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:26.685

13th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.694 14th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:26.701

15th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:26.722 16th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:26.724

17th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:26.725 18th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:26.776

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:26.793 20th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:26.863

21st Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:26.957 22nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.990

23rd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:27.048 24th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:29.381

After Qualifying was over, those in the top 3 were interviewed.

I: Charlie Brown, this is your third pole of the season, what are your chances, do you feel, of becoming the first repeat winner this season?

Charlie Brown: I hope so, though I'm sure Frieda will make it very difficult for me.

I: Frieda, as the only other driver with multiple pole positions, do you agree with Charlie Brown's assertions?

Frieda: Of course. Another race win would be ideal for the championship battle with Pig Pen, and the others. I'm glad Charlie Brown sees me as a force to be reckoned with.

I: Sally, you've scored a handful of points this season. Given your position, what are your targets for this race?

Sally: I'm hoping for a podium. (She leans back, away from the microphone)

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Pig Pen was also interviewed.

I: Pig Pen, from 6th, do you think you can keep hold of the Championship lead this race?

Pig Pen: I doubt it, but I do think I'll still be in the hunt.

I: Thank you.

Sunday 13th May – Race Day in Colorado

There was plenty of hubbub as the cars assembled on the grid in the lead up to the race, with fans and the press eagerly awaiting the prospect of seeing so many championship challengers battle it out. Charlie Brown sat on pole, waiting patiently for the announcer to speak while he mentally prepared himself for the race. Eventually, as the crowd began to quiet, the announcer spoke

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!" Charlie Brown did so, as did everyone else. The pace car led them around the track for the formation lap.

"As the pace car leads them round, the drivers will have to face 100 laps of the oval here at Pike's Peak International Raceway, as the car pulls into the pits, the Colorado Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Charlie Brown led into the first corner, with every one following behind him, although Shermy took a little more time getting up to speed, being passed by Pig-Pen. Frieda took the lead on lap 8, before Linus passed Franklin a lap later, and by lap 10, Morag had made 4 places, up to 18th. Rerun passed Shermy on lap 15, whilst Marcie and Pig Pen were locked in a battle for 5th position. Violette was far at the back, drifting away behind the pack, and effectively running her own race in last place.

Harold Angel passed Thibault on lap 19, and started to catch up to Patty Swanson, who was struggling to keep up with Eudora. On the approach to the pit-lane, Patty's engine had a blowout. Quickly, she pulled into the pits, her car spilling oil over the pit-lane, and thankfully, not the track. Morag managed to get past a troublesome Joe Agate 4 laps later, in a daring move on the outside he hadn't covered for. Peppermint Patty then overtook Shermy on lap 29, his pace just not matching that of the others. Rerun joined the three-way battle for 5th on lap 31, which was still being tightly contested, and it would continue for several laps.

On lap 36, however, the leading group was getting close enough to lap the slow moving car of Violette, who was still struggling with a car problem. Frieda swung out to Violette's inside, and made a move to pass her, but she was too focused on Charlie Brown's car appearing in her other rear view mirror, and she swayed left to let him through. Unfortunately, she collided with Frieda, sending both of their cars spinning off into the infield, whilst Charlie Brown had to swerve right to avoid the two of them, dropping him into 6th. The steering of Frieda's car was too damaged to continue, as her right front wheel was bent inwards, so she retired from the race, as did Violette. The race was brought under yellow flags whilst the stricken cars of Frieda and Violette were cleared.

When the race restarted, on lap 44, the racers were eager to get underway. Marcie, now in third, struggled to keep Pig Pen and Rerun behind her, whilst at the front, Sally suddenly found herself in the lead, with Schroeder casually sitting behind in second. Morag got past Five on lap 51, finally able to go at full speed. Eudora got past Shermy 3 laps later, whilst Thibault stayed close behind Harold Angel as he waited to make a move.

Pig Pen passed Marcie on lap 60, finally breaking into third, with Rerun passing Marcie a lap later. Schroeder was beginning to close up behind Sally too, passing her and taking the lead on lap 72. Thibault took another few laps to close up to Harold Angel and pass him, to move into 10th place which, critically for him, meant scoring a point. Rerun passed Pig Pen on lap 89, before Morag passed Franklin on lap 93. Linus also got past Harold Angel two laps before the chequered flag.

"And Schroeder wins in Colorado! Sally Brown is second, and Rerun Van Pelt is third! Pig Pen was 4th, Marcie is 5th, Charlie Brown is 6th, Peppermint Patty is 7th, Eudora finished in 8th, Shermy 9th and Thibault scores his first point of the season in 10th!

Linus was 11th, with Harold Angel 12th, Morag 13th, Franklin 14th, Five 15th, Joe Agate 16th, Lucy 17th, Violet 18th, José Peterson 19th, Pierre 20th, and Cormac finished 21st.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 72pts 2nd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 68pts

3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 65pts 4th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 59pts

5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 59pts 6th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 56pts

7th Charlie Brown [Renault] 56pts 8th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 54pts

9th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 48pts 10th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts

11th Sally Brown [Polestar] 36pts 12th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts

13th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 30pts 14th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 29pts

15th Patty Swanson [ACE] 20pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 16pts

17th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts 18th Joe Agate [Sky] 14pts

19th Harold Angel [Isdera] 12pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1pt 25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts

Schroeder parked his car on victory road, as he received bountiful applause for his win. He smiled softly, and waved, before heading up to the podium. In the waiting room, the three of them congratulated each other on a good race, before heading out onto the podium in front of the adoring crowd.

The three of them stood and waited whilst the three American flags unfurled and the American anthem played. The German anthem played after the American had finished. Afterwards, the drivers picked up their trophies and celebrated, before drinking their milk and heading off into the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Schroeder, of all the people who could possibly have won a second time today, I doubt many would have expected it to be you. How did you do it?

Schroeder: A mixture of luck and good racing. I'm glad to be in the hunt for the championship again.

I: Sally, just like your team mate before you, you finished on the podium with a second place. How important is that for the team?

Sally: Very important. I'm not far behind her (Eudora) in the championship now, and we are close to the other front-running teams.

I: Rerun, you've caught up to Charlie Brown in the standings. Do you think the team will treat you equally to Charlie Brown in future?

Rerun: Are you saying it isn't? I think the way they're doing it now is working for us, and I don't expect it to change, as long as we keep getting results.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Pig Pen was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: Pig Pen, you said yesterday you weren't expecting to lead the championship after today. How good does it feel to be proven wrong?

Pig Pen: Good question. It does feel good when things turn out better than expected. That said, I hope to still be competitive at the next race.

I: Thank you.

As the day sunk into night, the drivers returned to their hotel and went to sleep, ready for the next day ahead.


	10. Race 9: Idaho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy has some info for Morag and the others, as they all move on to the next race.

Monday 14th May

With the next race being in Idaho, the drivers had plenty of time to wait and prepare before the bus was going to leave.

Pig-Pen decided to join Morag, Charlie Brown, and Linus at a restaurant in Colorado Springs where they had been discussing the previous week.

"Is Roy turning up this week?" Charlie Brown asked, resting his head against his arm.

"He said he would be contacting us." Morag replied. "Though he didn't say how."

"Maybe he's busy." Linus shrugged, as he sipped from a mug of hot chocolate.

"I think his hotel might be in a different part of town." Pig-Pen suggested.

"Mmhm" Morag hummed as she slumped in her chair, just before a dull ringtone emanated from her direction.

"Hello? Yes, Roy, we are at the restaurant. Yeah I'll put you on speaker." She pushed a button on her phone. "Did you find anything?

"Yes. We looked into Verticalis Holdings, we found out that the company is registered in the name of…" Roy began.

"Hold it." Morag interrupted. "If you have sensitive information, give it in person. If whoever's in charge can keep the press on a leash, they can bug a phone call. Tell us next time we meet."

"Ok then. See you in Idaho." And Roy hung up.

"Well that was disappointing." Pig-Pen complained.

"We have to be patient with these things." Morag clarified. "We haven't yet clued you in on everything, but ever since your accident, the governing body has been acting really shifty. So we really can't afford to take any chances."

"I see." Pig Pen replied. "Do you plan on keeping the other drivers in the loop?"

"If they want to speak to me about it, they can, nothing's stopping them." Morag answered.

"Ok."

"You looking forward to the next race?" Linus asked Charlie Brown.

"Kind of, I want to catch up to the frontrunners. I feel like I'm a bit behind."

"You're telling me!" Morag gawked, as Linus looked down at his thumbs.

"Why don't I get you all some juice and stop worrying for the day?" Pig Pen suggested.

"Good idea." Morag replied.

"Thanks, Pig Pen." Linus added.

The four of them drank and ate and chatted, as friends do, until late in the day.

Thursday 17th May

As with the previous race, the long distance between venues meant that the party bus left at 7am, the racing drivers getting some extra shuteye as the bus trundled along America's highways. The others, consisting of Lucy, Franklin and Patty Swanson in the Honda team's Civic, Joe Agate in the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, Morag, Harold Angel, and Violette in the Isdera team's Mercedes, Frieda, Linus, and Pierre in the Opel Astra, and Five, Cormac, José Peterson and Violet in the Team Cherokee Jeep, all left around half an hour later. The journey lasted 11 hours, and they arrived in Pocatello late in the day.

The track, a street circuit, is coincidentally a similar size and shape to the Monza circuit in Italy (I'm not kidding). It starts with a sweeping fast right hander, followed by a chicane (passing under a bridge), before two 90-ish degree right handers, before a long straight followed by a fast left hander, and two right turns to finish. A number of drivers, including, but not limited to, Schroeder, Morag, Charlie Brown, and Linus studied the layout of the track after exiting their chosen mode of transport, before they went off to their hotels.

The teams and the press took the next several days to lug all of the cars and tools and other things to Pocatello, but everything was in place for Monday night.

Tuesday 22nd May

Roy arrived in Pocatello with nothing but his clothes, his shoes, and his notepad, which contained all the information he needed. He kept it close to hand always, especially since his was supposed to give Morag the details of what he was about to say the previous week. The paddock he walked through was pretty makeshift, but the townspeople didn't complain. The hubbub was a new thing to them, and the noise wasn't going to bother them for too long. Roy made it to the Isdera motorhome, where Morag was waiting impatiently outside.

"Took you long enough." She quipped as they made eye contact.

"You were the one who held off on me saying it." Roy retorted.

"I know. We should go inside."

"Okay." Roy replied, following Morag inside the motorhome. She led him to the team's break room, where they both sat down at a table.

"So, what did you find?" Morag asked.

"Well, as I was going to say, the person who owns the shell company is a lady who goes by the name of Mandy Wilcox." Roy explained. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"It does actually. You see, I've done a little bit of digging myself, trying to get some background info on the people who run the sport, and what they do etc." Morag replied.

"So what does this Mandy person do?"

"She runs the finances and commercial aspects of the AAMF (All-American Motorsport Federation)" it makes sense that she runs the shell company too. I'll draw up a dossier or something in time for the next meeting so I can get everyone up to speed." She continued.

"See you then." Roy responded. "I have to hold up my end of the deal now and find a story."

"Good luck." Morag replied, as Roy departed from the motorhome. Roy went off in search of another story. Thibault still had that ultimatum, so Roy decided to seek out any drama elsewhere. He walked up and down the paddock, listening out for any rumours, but there was nothing that wasn't already public knowledge. Out of ideas, Roy went to the Renault motorhome and looked for Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown was sitting at a table in the foyer, playing Solitaire to keep himself busy.

Roy sat down next to him.

"Oh, hi Roy." Charlie Brown looked up from his cards. "What brings you here?"

"I'm stuck for a story. Nobody's really got anything newsworthy to say."

"You want me to help?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Sure." Roy replied. "What should we talk about?"

"Have you considered asking about the track? From what me and Schroeder saw, the track is very fast and the walls are close."

"So you're saying the track's not safe." Roy surmised.

"Potentially." Charlie Brown replied. "I heard they were putting these fancy SAFER barriers on the fast corners like Indy has, but I don't want to be the one to test how effective they are."

"Ok. I'll see what I can do with that. Thank you."

"No problem. Also, any news on the meeting front?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I gave Morag the name. She'll mention it at the next meeting." Roy confirmed.

"Alright. See you soon." Charlie Brown replied as Roy got up to leave. Roy gathered a few more opinions regarding the track, taking detailed notes, before he returned to his hotel at the end of the day. He left his notepad on a table for Frank to read, before taking a nap.

Thursday 24th May

Like the previous races, 5 drivers were picked to participate in the pre-race press conference. These were: José Peterson, Harold Angel, Charlie Brown, Violet Gray, and Peppermint Patty.

I: José, it's been a while since you finished in the points. Do you think the car has what it takes to finish well here?

José: Honestly, We should be doing better. I want to say we'll be in the points this weekend, but we will have to wait and see.

I: Harold Angel, you must be hoping for the same, no? You and Morag have been hanging around the midfield for the past four races.

Harold Angel: Of course. Our car is competitive, and hopefully our run of bad luck will end here.

I: Charlie Brown, you've consistently finished in the points so far. What are your hopes for this race?

Charlie Brown: I hope to close in on the championship lead, preferably with a win, but I'll have to qualify well first.

Peppermint Patty: You've already scored 3 poles this season. Show some confidence. (she looks at him indignantly)

I: Ok, Moving on. Violet, you and Shermy have shown occasional bursts of pace. How do you plan to improve your consistency?

Violet: Our driving styles are very different. Which is why I'm good on some tracks and he's good on others. I think this track will suit me better.

I: Peppermint Patty, you've found yourself in a decent position in the championship fight. Do you think you can win here?

Peppermint Patty: Sure I can. The car's good, I'm at the top of my game, as long as I don't hit the wall, everything will be fine.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 26th May

Morning broke in Pocatello, and for the first time, the hubbub was replaced by the roars of engines, as the drivers did a practice session. The track was very tight, with walls lining every corner, should anyone stray off the track. A lot of them ventured slowly as they tried to locate and avoid any unexpected bumps. A couple of hours after that was over, it was time for qualifying.

Pierre was the first to go out, setting a time of 1:28.724, before Violet beat it with a 1:28.670. Thibault then went even faster, setting a time of 1:28.541 before losing control after the chicane and crashing into the wall head on at around 60 mph. Thibault got out of the car unhurt, but the car had to be retrieved by the marshals before qualifying could continue.

Joe Agate was next to go out, setting a 1:29.932, before Violette Honfleur went fastest with a 1:27.932. Sally Brown then set a 1:29.220, putting her just ahead of Joe Agate. Frieda was pushing hard, in a manner that everyone could tell, but her efforts proved to be a waste, as she set a 1:29.004.

Rerun then set a 1:27.675, before Eudora promptly beat that with a 1:27.388. Peppermint Patty then beat everyone with a 1:26.920, before her teammate Lucy set a time of 1:28.930. Pig Pen snuck ahead of Peppermint Patty with a 1:26.855, which Morag then beat with a 1:26.671. Patty Swanson then set a time of 1:27.357, before José Peterson surprised everyone with a time of 1:26.417 that topped the time sheets.

Marcie set a slower time than that, as she set a 1:27.021, before Harold Angel set a time of 1:26.890, close to his teammate Morag, and just behind Pig Pen. Five set a time of 1:28.208, putting him towards the back of the field, and Charlie Brown set a time of 1:27.029, unable to find the speed that had already given him 3 pole positions. Cormac apparently did have that speed though, as he set a time of 1:25.689, well faster than his teammate José. Schroeder split the two Daihatsu drivers up with a 1:26.348, before Linus squeaked ahead of Cormac, taking pole position with a 1:25.635. Franklin and Shermy were the last to go out, setting a 1:27.223 and a 1:27.971 respectively.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order was as follows…

1st Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:25.635 2nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:25.689

3rd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:26.348 4th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:26.417

5th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:26.671 6th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 1:26.855

7th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:26.890 8th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:26.920

9th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:27.021 10th Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:27.029

11th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:27.223 12th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 1:27.357

13th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:27.388 14th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:27.675

15th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:27.932 16th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:27.971

17th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 1:28.208 18th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1:28.541

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:28.670 20th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:28.724

21st Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:28.930 22nd Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:29.004

23rd Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:29.220 24th Joe Agate [Sky] 1:29.932

After qualifying had finished, the top three drivers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Linus, you've been regularly scoring highly up until now, but this is your first pole position. How do you feel right now?

Linus: I feel pretty good. I' hoping I can convert this into a first win, although I expect a number of people will make it challenging for me.

I: Cormac, the Daihatsu's have been languishing at the back most of the season. Is there a reason for your sudden uptick in speed?

Cormac: I don't know. I think the track suits our car well, like in the first race in Delaware. I don't know enough about the cars to tell you in detail, sorry.

I: Schroeder, you won from 4th last time out, do you think you can do the same here?

Schroeder: sure I can. I only have two cars to pass, so it shouldn't be too hard.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Pig Pen was also interviewed down in the paddock.

I: So, you're starting in 6th place today. Do you think you'll be able to hold on to your championship lead again?

Pig Pen: I hope so, though there's a lot of fast racers ahead of me. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

I: Thank you.

As the day turned to night, the drivers went back to their hotels and slept, ready for the race ahead.

Sunday 27th May

Linus sat in his car on pole position as the sun peeked out of the clouds. The race was starting much later today, around 3pm, so as not to clash with the Indy 500, which lots of people would tune in to watch. Nevertheless, Linus mentally steeled himself whilst he waited for the announcer to begin proceedings.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!" The announcer spoke. Linus did so, as did everyone else. The pace car then led everyone around for the formation lap.

"Once the pace car disappears, the drivers will have 30 laps to fight it out for the win. Will Linus take his first win? Or will someone else take the top step? As the pace car pulls into the pits, the Idaho Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Linus got a good start, with everyone else calmly filing behind. Schroeder leapfrogged Cormac, getting past at the chicane. The cars continued on up until the next turn, where Cormac, trying to get his lead back, went up the inside of Schroeder, who didn't give him enough room, and the two collided, sending Schroeder spinning into the wall at a backwards angle, coming to a rest parallel to the wall, which thankfully left enough room for other cars to pass by safely.

Schroeder's car bore the brunt of the damage, and Schroeder got out of the car dazed and shaken, clambering over the barrier whilst the marshals threw out a yellow flag so they could crane the car off the track. Cormac limped to the pits with a broken front wing and suspension damage, pulling into the pits and retiring the car. The yellows remained for another two laps before racing got underway again.

Linus led into the first corner on lap 4, with José and Morag following behind him, whilst at the back, Frieda got past both Lucy and Pierre. Charlie Brown overtook Marcie coming out of the last corner on lap 7. On lap 9, Frieda made up another place, as she got past Violet on the straight before the penultimate corner.

A lap later, Harold Angel passed Pig Pen into the first corner, a move that took a few onlookers by surprise, before on lap 13, Rerun passed Eudora to go into 11th place, and Five slipped behind Thibault and Frieda. Shermy would suffer the same two laps later, whilst at the front, Morag made a pass on José coming out of the chicane. Pig Pen, however was stuck behind Harold Angel, who was losing time compared to the front three, but defending capably against the car behind him. Thibault made a pass on Violette on lap 19, whilst Morag was slowly beginning to close up on Linus at the front. Lucy retired from the race on lap 23 with an engine failure, pulling off into an escape road where the car could be retrieved easily.

Pig Pen's tyres were starting to wear out towards the end of the race, and with 3 laps to go, he was passed by both Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty as he compromised his exit coming out of the last corner in order to keep his car from skidding.

Meanwhile, Morag was still putting the pressure on Linus, lap after lap, and with 2 laps remaining, they were virtually nose to tail. She continued to push the limit, trying to force Linus into a mistake, and on the final corner of the last lap, she succeeded. Linus locked up going into the last corner, which allowed Morag and José through.

"And Morag wins in Idaho! José Peterson is 2nd, and Linus Van Pelt is 3rd! Harold Angel finishes in 4th, with Peppermint Patty 5th, Charlie Brown in 6th, Pig Pen 7th, Marcie 8th, Franklin 9th, and Patty Swanson rounding out the top ten. Rerun finished 11th, with Eudora 12th, Thibault in 13th, Violette 14th, Frieda 15th, Shermy 16th, Five 17th, Violet 18th, Pierre 19th, Sally 20th, and Joe Agate in 21st.

In the championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Pig Pen [Armstrong] 78pts 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 73pts

3rd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 69pts 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 69pts

5th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 69pts 6th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 68pts

7th Charlie Brown [Renault] 64pts 8th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 59pts

9thRerun Van Pelt [Renault] 56pts 10th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts

11th Sally Brown [Polestar] 36pts 12th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 34pts

13th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts 14th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 32pts

15th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 29pts 16th Harold Angel [Isdera] 24pts

17th Patty Swanson [ACE] 21pts 18th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 14pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1pt 

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts

Morag parked her car on victory road and got out to rapturous applause from bystanders, who were finally allowed on the track, now that the race was over. Morag received congratulations for her team, before heading up to the podium. In the waiting room, José and Linus congratulated her on her hard but fair racing, and Morag exchanged similar compliments in return, before the three of them walked out onto the podium.

The three of them stood and waited whilst the UK national anthem played and the British, Mexican and American flags unfurled. The German anthem played after the UK one finished. After that the three drivers celebrated with their trophies and drank their milk, before heading off to the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Morag, after struggling for the past few races, an impressive drive today has put you back within reasonable distance of the championship lead again. How relieved are you to be competitive again?

Morag: It feels great to be on the top step. I was getting frustrated before, but I'll still be working hard to improve for the next race.

I: José, your best result this season, and after a similarly long wait too. Do you see yourself continuing with this run of form?

José: I hope so. We were able to get a good qualifying here, so maybe we will have that again next race.

I: Linus, you spent almost the entire race in the lead. Do you regret being pressured into a mistake at the final turn?

Linus: I do, kind of. My championship prospects would be much better if I won, but 3rd place is still a good result and I shouldn't beat myself up about it. Like Morag, I too will be fighting hard next time around.

I: Thank you.

Down in the paddock, Championship leader Pig Pen was also interviewed.

I: Pig Pen, are you happy with 7th today? You seemed to have trouble with the tyres.

Pig Pen: Well, I've increased my championship lead, so I can't say it was a bad weekend, but yeah, I did struggle with the tyres a bit. A lot of people are closing up on me, so I'd better be quick in Nevada.

I: Thank you.

That evening, the stewards announced that Cormac would be getting a 5 place grid penalty for causing his and Schroeder's accident, which soured his mood, as he and the other drivers went to their hotel and did their best to sleep for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying this so far ;)


	11. Race 10: Nevada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morag is tigh-lipped about her presentation, and Roy speaks to Thibault, as everyone moves on to the next race.

Monday 28th May

With the next round in Nevada only a week away, the party bus containing the top ten left at around 10am, with the others, consisting of Sally, Eudora, Violette and Shermy in the Polestar team's Volvo XC90, Thibault and Joe Agate in the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, Schroeder, Frieda, Violet and Lucy in the Opel Astra, and Five, Rerun, Cormac and Pierre in the Cherokee team Jeep, left around 15 minutes later.

On the Party bus, Morag personally congratulated Harold Angel on a great race, as the rest of the team had done the night before, praising him as a good team player. Charlie Brown and Linus discussed more serious matters.

"You okay Linus?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. You hear anything from Morag or Roy?"

"Apparently Morag has a dossier of key people involved, but she's still compiling it, so I doubt we'll have the time or space to see it until next week." Charlie Brown answered.

"After the next race." Linus pointed out. Morag looked at them having heard the conversation, before nodding in confirmation.

The party bus took around 8 hrs to get there, and it was evening by the time the drivers arrived at their hotel not too far from where the track was.

On Tuesday 29th, the teams, with the cars, motorhomes and the press, arrived at the track.

Thursday 31st May

Once again, 5 drivers were picked seemingly at random for the pre-race press conference. These 5 were: Frieda, Shermy, Joe Agate, Rerun, and Eudora.

I: Frieda, despite a bad race in Idaho, you're still within reasonable sight of the championship lead. Do you think you can bounce back here?

Frieda: I don't see why not. I expect to be close to where I was in Colorado, before I was taken out.

I: Shermy, as someone who has repeatedly shown to be lacking in race pace, is your position in the team still secure?

Shermy: I've scored nearly as much as my team mate, and I've seen bigger discrepancies in pace at other teams that you don't seem to question. As far as I know, nobody has come up to me and given me an ultimatum, or anything like that, so I don't know what you're talking about.

I: Ok. Joe Agate. It could be said, that despite your finish last time out, you are still the leader within the team. Do you agree with this?

Joe Agate: Of course. I have way more points than Thibault, and the management seem to like me a lot more than they like him.

I: Rerun, you're one of the smaller drivers on the field, how do you cope with driving the cars around, with G-forces as big as they are?

Rerun: I practice a lot with the team. The guys there are very supportive and I put in a lot of hard work. They understand that I can't always have great results but we're happy that I do.

I: Eudora. Do you think you can get points here, like you did in Colorado?

Eudora: we should be faster here than we were in Idaho, we'll see on Saturday.

I: Thank you.

Friday 1st June

Roy was walking around the paddock, much more confidently than at Idaho, as there were plenty of stories for him to chase this week. For instance, there was Thibualt's Ultimatum, which now required him to finish 7th or higher if he didn't want to be kicked out, as well as the complete mess of an interview that happened to Shermy the previous day. Roy walked over to the Team Sky garage and saw Thibault leaning against a wall, and went over to speak to him.

"Morning Thibault." Roy began.

"Hi Roy. Come to bother me again?" Thibault sulked.

"Not looking forward to the race I reckon?" Roy asked.

"No. is there anything else you wanted to ask?" Thibault huffed

"Have you come up with any plans if indeed you do get let go?"

"I have a few things. I'm not sure they'll work, but it'll be worth a shot. Thibault replied.

"Manager's wife still AWOL I presume?" Roy asked.

"Yep. Manager has a bunch of red marks on his hands too. Does your dad know about it?"

"He took the notebook with him that day, of course he does." Roy replied.

"Well, shoot. I should run it by him if I get the chance." Thibault smirked. "Nice seeing you Roy."

"See you around, Thibault." Roy smiled happily, carrying his notes with him as he skipped off into the distance.

"Show off." Thibault chuckled to himself.

Roy continued on his quest, stopping at the Zontec garage to see if Shermy was around, and find him he did; Shermy was inspecting the parts on his car to get a better understanding of what might be going wrong.

"Hey, Roy." Shermy popped his head out from under the chassis. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to get your opinion on the press pool. Yesterday's interview was a complete mess."

"It's not my fault they were wide of the mark." Shermy replied.

"I know. that's why I came here. Do you think they might be trying to stir stuff up a bit?" Roy shouted over the sound of a wheel gun.

"Oh definitely. Having the spotlight on us keeps their bosses happy. He shouted in reply, toning himself down when the noise stopped.

"Do you mean, like, the news editor, or the sports organisers?"

"The first one. I wouldn't know enough to make a judgement on the second."

"Thanks Shermy. Nice talking to you."

"You're Welcome!" Shermy shouted again as the sound of the wheel gun returned. Roy went back to the main area of the paddock, where his father was waiting at a pop-up café, with two iced fruit smoothies and a blueberry muffin each.

"You seem pleased with yourself." Frank began as Roy sat down.

"There's a lot going on this week. I didn't have to look too hard." Roy replied, handing him the notebook.

"I see. You've done well." Frank remarked as he read Roy's notes. "How accurate are they?"

"Everything in quotation marks is verbatim." Roy replied.

"I think you've earned a break." Frank passed him one of the smoothies and a muffin.

"I think I have." Roy gladly took the food and drink and began to eat. Once they had finished eating, the two of them explored the paddock and took in the sights like any normal family would, with Frank and Roy taking family photos of each other standing in front of various cars and motorhomes.

They enjoyed themselves until the late evening, at which point it was time to go back to their hotel. They, the drivers and everyone else involved slept through the night ready for the next day.

Saturday 2nd June

The morning's practice session went by without drama, and drivers were focused, anticipating the start of the qualifying session, which eventually began at 12:30pm. Cormac was the first to go out, setting a benchmark time of 0:26.728, which was swiftly beaten by Shermy, who set a time of 0:26.699. José Peterson set a slower time than his team mate, his time being a 0:27.005, but that was still faster than Pierre, who set a 0:27.159. Harold Angel set a 0:26.931, before Violette beat Cormac's benchmark with a time of 0:26.723.

Franklin set a time of 0:26.777, before Schroeder put himself at the front with a time of 0:26.594. Eudora then set a time of 0:26.790 before Rerun put himself 2nd with a 0:26.607, with Linus just behind him setting a 0:26.654.

Charlie Brown then set a time of 0:26.513 to go fastest, but that was quickly beaten by Morag, who set a time of 0:26.465. Pig Pen then set a time of 0:26.777, identical to his team-mate. Five was only a smidge behind them, setting a 0:26.787.

Marcie went fastest with a time of 0:26.447, whilst Sally Brown could only muster a 0:26.673. Thibault performed decently with a time of 0:26.648, but it wasn't as fast as Patty Swanson's time, which was a 0:26.516. Joe Agate was slowest of all, setting a 0:27.361, and on the other end of the grid, Lucy impressed with a 0:26.579. Violet set a time of 0:26.752, while Frieda snuck ahead of her team-mate by setting a 0:26.591, before Peppermint Patty ended proceedings with a time of 0:26.612.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order was as follows…

1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:26.447 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.465

3rd Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:26.513 4th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:26.516

5th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:26.579 6th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:26.591

7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:26.594 8th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.607

9th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:26.612 10th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:26.648

11th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:26.654 12th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:26.673

13th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.699 14th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:26.723

15th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:26.752 16th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:26.777

17th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:26.777 18th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:26.787

19th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:26.790 20th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:26.728 (PENALTY)

21st Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.931 22nd José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:27.005

23rd Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:27.159 24th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:27.361

After the session was over, the top three qualifiers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Marcie, you've frequently been near the front, but this is the first time you're on pole, do you think you can add your first win to that tally as well?

Marcie: I sincerely hope so. I want to take the championship lead back from Pig Pen, and a win would certainly help with that.

I: Morag, following your win in Idaho, a lot of people will have you down as their favourite to win tomorrow. What do you make of this?

Morag: Well, they're in luck, I think. I only have one person I need to pass to win. Not that anyone should be betting on races, mind you.

I: Charlie Brown, you've had some decent results recently, but luck has deserted you on some occasions. Do you think fortune will favour you today?

Charlie Brown: I don't expect it to. Fortune often escapes me. I'll have to work hard to win, like at Watkin's Glen.

I: Thank you.

Championship leader Pig Pen was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: Pig Pen, how do you see your prospects of retaining the championship lead, given the fact you are in 17th place?

Pig Pen: I think it will be very difficult, even to just score a point here. I might get lucky, who knows.

I: Thank you.

As night fell, the drivers returned to their hotels and slept for the night, ready for the race the next day.

Sunday 3rd June

The cars were lined up on the grid, fervently anticipating the start of the race. Marcie was sitting in her car, checking her wing mirrors to look at what the other drivers were doing whilst she waited for the inevitable.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!" the announcer began.

Marcie switched on her engine, as did everyone else. The pace car led them around the course for the formation lap, while the announcer continued to speak.

"After the pace car pulls in, the competitors will have 99 laps to duke it out for the win. And as the pace car pulls into the pits, the Nevada Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Marcie got a good start, with everyone else filing in behind. It wasn't until lap 4 before anyone attempted a move, with Violette making her way past Shermy. Franklin also let his team-mate by early on lap 6, in the hope he might score some points. Meanwhile, Rerun and Schroeder were tussling for 7th place, with neither driver being able to gain an advantage over the other, the consequence of which being Peppermint Patty and Thibault passing the both of them on lap 19.

By lap 25, Pig Pen had made his way past Violet and Shermy, who had fallen behind his teammate. At the front of the field, Lucy was beginning to close on Patty Swanson, eventually passing her on lap 34, whilst José Peterson passed Harold Angel for 21st place on the same lap. Franklin made his way past Shermy on lap 37, and Eudora got past Five the following lap.

Charlie Brown made a move on Morag on lap 45, moving himself up into second place, whilst Pig Pen was battling Violette in the midfield at the same time, eventually getting past her on lap 51. Franklin got past Violet on lap 55, before Eudora moved past Shermy two laps later, and Rerun passed Schroeder on lap 60.

Up to this point, the cars had been remarkably reliable, for once, but that was not to last. On lap 67, Marcie was leading comfortably until the left steering arm collapsed on her car, causing her to wobble on the straight. Knowing how much dangerous her car now was, she pulled off towards the infield and slowed the car down, stopping next to the barrier. The yellow flags were brought out while the marshals retrieved the car, and Marcie walked back to the pits.

Once the race got going again a couple of laps later, Charlie Brown was now in first place, with Morag and Lucy not far behind him. He held them back behind him, as further back, Frieda and Patty Swanson fought for 4th place, with Frieda eventually gaining the place on lap 77. Eudora made her way past Violet on lap 82, whilst ahead of her, Violette was passed by Franklin. Further up the field, Linus was catching up to Schroeder, eventually passing him on lap 88.

On lap 95, whilst happily in 7th place, and on course for a crucial 6 points, Thibault's car suffered a disastrous engine failure, putting him out of the race. Thibault had no choice but to park the car on the infield, and stop the car. He threw his steering wheel out in frustration as he got out and he gave the car a kick as he angrily trudged his way back to the pits. The race was brought under yellow flags by the marshals until the last lap of the race, but no one was able to leapfrog anyone during the restart, and the race finished as is.

"And Charlie Brown wins in Nevada! Morag is 2nd, and Lucy Van Pelt finishes in 3rd! Frieda is 4th, Patty Swanson is 5th, Peppermint Patty is 6th, Rerun Van Pelt is 7th, Linus is 8th, Schroeder finishes 9th, and Sally Brown rounds out the top 10! Pig Pen was 11th, with Franklin 12th, Violette 13th, Eudora 14th, Violet 15th, Shermy 16th, Five 17th, Cormac 18th, José Peterson 19th, Harold Angel 20th, Pierre 21st, and Joe Agate in 22nd.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 91pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 89pts

3rd Pig Pen [Armstrong] 78pts 4th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 77pts

5th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 73pts 6th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 71pts

7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 70pts 8th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 69pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 62pts 10th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 44pts

11th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts 12th Sally Brown [Polestar] 37pts

13th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 34pts 14th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 33pts

15th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 32pts 16th Patty Swanson [ACE] 31pts

17th Harold Angel [Isdera] 24pts 18th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 14pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1pt 25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong] 0pts

Charlie Brown parked on Victory Road and got out of his car, able to celebrate properly this time, happily taking in the adulation of the crowd, some of whom had become quite fond of him, not that he'd ever know. Waving enthusiastically to the crowd, he then went up to the podium. In the waiting room, he and Morag congratulated each other, whilst also finding out their current championship position, before the three of them, including Lucy stepped out onto the podium in front of the crowd.

The three of them stood and waited while the American National Anthem played, and the American and British flags unfurled. The French anthem played after the American one finished. After that, the drivers received their trophies, drank their milk ad celebrated for a short while, before heading off to the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Charlie Brown, congratulations on the win. How confident were you feeling about your chances before the race?

Charlie Brown: Well, I knew I was probably going to get a good result, but to win was a nice surprise. I'm back in the main championship fight, which is nice, too.

I: Morag, you now lead the championship after two very successful races in a row, do you see yourself continuing this form at the next race?

Morag: I'm not sure anyone can say for definite what will happen next race, but I will be putting 100% effort in, you can be sure of that.

I: Lucy, another podium for you, do you think the other drivers will begin to see you as a key competitor now?

Lucy: I think they know not to fool with me already. My next target to catch up to and overtake Peppermint Patty in the Championship.

I: Thank you.

Former Championship Leader Pig Pen, now 3rd in the title race, was also interviewed.

I: Today was the first race you finished outside the points. How damaging is that for your championship chances?

Pig Pen: It's not great is it? I guess I should be happy I'm still 3rd. I should be able to catch them at the next race, if all goes well.

I: Thank you.

That night, Charlie Brown, Rerun and the other drivers went to bed at their hotels whilst the other members of the Renault team went revelling in the streets of Las Vegas, joyous in victory, until they too returned in the dead of night.


	12. Race 11: New Mexico

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morag gives a PowerPoint Presentation to Charlie Brown, Linus, and Roy. Thibault confides in both Roy and his Father, as the drivers move on to the next race.

Monday 4th June

Las Vegas was a bustling city, so it was only natural that the drivers took some time out in the city before the party bus was due to leave.

Peppermint Patty, Lucy, Five, Shermy, and a few others went shopping, whilst Harold Angel, Schroeder, Franklin, Rerun and Sally were taking pictures on the Vegas strip.

Charlie Brown, Morag, Linus, Pig Pen, Roy and Marcie however, were sitting in an office, helpfully requisitioned for a few hours by Roy's father. Morag was at the front of the room, waiting for everyone to focus on her so she could begin her presentation. Morag cleared her throat as she gained everyone's attention.

"Now then. As you may have heard, I have been building a basic profile of the key figures involved with running the All American Motorsport Federation. She clicked through to the next slide, showing a profile of the person that Roy had told her of 2 weeks beforehand, a woman in her early 40's with reddish brown hair, a bob cut and glasses.

"This is Mandy Wilcox. She runs the financial aspects of the group, and that includes the shell company through which the teams and their employees receive their money. She's also likely the one to be receiving money from donors, sponsors and other interested parties. You have a question?"

"What do you mean by other interested parties?" Pig Pen asked.

"I don't know yet. Finding out who these interests are could maybe help us piece together how the governing body is able to keep the press under its thumb."

"She doesn't run the company though, does she?" Charlie Brown sought clarification.

"No. that would be this man." Morag clicked through to the next slide showing a picture of a rich-looking man in his late 40's, sporting well-kept grey hair and a clean-shaven face. "This is Martin Haymaker. He is the CEO of the AAMF. All the major decisions and actions are run or approved by him. He is the man in control. All of the shady stuff is likely to have come from him."

"Why is that?" Marcie asked.

"With the money that Mandy Wilcox handles for him, he probably has a lot of people to please. We don't know who they are yet, or what they want, but I imagine they'd be quite powerful people, like bankers or politicians."

"Anyone else we should know about?" Linus asked.

"There is another person." Morag showed another slide, of a younger and fatter man than the CEO, with short, dark hair. "This is John Wellock. He's the Vice President of the company. He takes orders from Haymaker and runs the show when he's not around, which is rarely. I'm going to make an educated guess he's not as clever or as competent as Mr Haymaker is. I'll have to try to gather more info on him. Any questions?"

"Where do we look now?" Roy asked. Charlie Brown put his hand down, which indicated he was about to ask the same question.

"For now, we observe. These people attend every race, and they're bound to end up talking to some of their 'links.'" Morag began. "Roy and I will be taking notes as and when we see anyone they talk to or leave/enter a meeting with. The rest of you should carry on as normal, but please let me know if you see anything suspicious." Morag ended her presentation.

"Now that that's over, why don't we get something to eat?" Pig Pen suggested.

"Sure. We might as well enjoy Las Vegas while we're still here." Morag agreed. The six of them walked happily out of the office as they began to sightsee, taking pictures in front of various Vegas landmarks, as well as enjoying some of the local cuisine. By the end of the day, they had taken an entire album of photos, before returning to their hotel. That night, Thibault revealed to a number of drivers that he had been fired from his team, which stirred conversations among the drivers in the days to come.

Thursday 7th June

With a 9 hour journey on the cards, the organisers decided a Thursday journey to New Mexico would be best. The party bus left at 10am, with the points finishers on board. Not long after, Joe Agate took the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, whilst Eudora, Sally, Violette, and Violette travelled on-board the Polestar team's Volvo XC90, and Marcie, Five, Shermy, Pierre and Harold Angel travelled in the Team Cherokee Jeep.

Thibault was fortunate enough to hitch a ride with Cormac and José in their team's Daihatsu Terios. Franklin's Parents took Franklin and Pig Pen in their car along with Roy, who had heard about Thibault and wanted to get the story whilst it was still a hot topic.

The party bus arrived at Santa Fe airport around 7pm, whilst the others arrived not long after the drivers all went immediately to a nearby hotel; they could study the track tomorrow, and there was plenty of time to do it then.

Friday morning came, and the drivers had already made their way to the track, in order to study the corners. The track itself was made up from parts of the runway, much like in South Dakota. This track was a different shape, however. The track starts with a straight followed by a short right kink followed by a similarly fast left turn, another straight and left kink, followed by a long acute hairpin, which led onto a 1km long straight, leading into two 90 degree left turns at the end. Schroeder and Charlie Brown were among the first to study the track, with the others not so far behind.

Roy was there too, trying to see if Thibault was around. From what he could see, Team Sky's replacement driver definitely hadn't arrived yet. Roy expected Mimi was being chosen, given her desire for a race seat, but he hadn't seen her since South Dakota. Eventually he found Thibault hanging back on a barrier at the side of the track.

"Oh, hey Roy." Thibault saw him as he approached.

"How are you?" Roy asked, sitting on top of the barrier as well.

"Everyone in the paddock is talking about me." Thibault sighed.

"I know. I don't think it was fair, them (Team Sky) firing you like that." Roy opined. "You were doing what was asked of you, until your engine blew up. Plus you've been outperforming Joe as of late.

"He's not scored since I was given that ultimatum, and he was last twice in two races, yet I'm the one being fired."

"I bet that's because Joe's better at keeping secrets." Roy alluded.

"That 5th place of his really bought him some respect." Thibault complained.

"You got any plan on coming back?" Roy asked.

"Don't be stupid. You saw how hard I tried. When your dad gets here I'm gonna lay everything I know about the manager to him, privately of course. He seems like the kinda guy who can get a story out."

"I can agree with you on that one." Roy smiled proudly. "That said, if your replacement does better than you, then you might never get it back."

"Who is my replacement anyway?" Thibault asked.

"Probably Mimi. She's the series' primary reserve." Roy answered.

"I wouldn't be too worried then." Thibault laughed it off.

"If she doesn't turn up, then they'll turn to me, but last I heard, she wants to be back in a racing car." Roy told him.

"I see." Thibault. "I guess I'll have to be patient in that regard."

"You're still going to watch though, aren't you?" Roy asked.

"Yeah. Thanks to you, the drivers don't actually hate me anymore. It's nice to be given a second chance."

"You only got a second chance because you proved you'd changed. They can turn their back on you just as quickly if you return to your old ways." Roy reminded him.

"I'm aware." Thibault responded. "You don't have to remind me."

"Ok." Roy replied.

"I bet you'll be busy this week." Thibault asked.

"I sure will. Which reminds me, I should probably get back to speaking with the other drivers, get their opinions on the whole thing."

"You do that." Thibault encouraged. "See you soon."

"Will do." Roy replied, as he hopped off the barrier and went back into the crowd to collect some vox pops to use later.

On Sunday 10th, Mimi was confirmed by Team Sky as their replacement driver under a three-race contract, with a possible extension if she could score 7 points within the timeframe. Thibault was said to remark that seemed an "interesting prospect."

On Tuesday 12th, the teams, along with the cars, and the press, arrived at the circuit. Thibault met up with Frank in private and told him all he knows, whilst he took detailed notes.

Thursday 14th June

As usual, 5 drivers were picked to be asked questions from interviewers at the pre-race press conference. These 5 were: Morag, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Cormac, and Pierre.

I: Morag, would it be fair to say you're feeling quite confident in the lead up to this weekend, given your lead?

Morag: I wouldn't be too confident. A lot of other drivers can still catch up, not least Charlie Brown, who's two points behind me. I'm not going to take anything for granted.

I: Peppermint Patty, you've scored points consistently over the past few races, but further podiums, to add to your win in the opening round in Delaware, have eluded you. Do you think you'll be able to put that right here?

Peppermint Patty: That's what we should be aiming for, especially now that my team mate has more podiums than me.

I: Schroeder, some say your ability to focus has helped you perform well on the track. What do you do to help you focus?

Schroeder: My passion is playing the piano, which as you expect, requires a lot of concentration. Racing is more of a job to me. Does that answer your question?

I: Yes. Cormac, your driving has been an object of criticism among the fans, how do you plan to answer your critics?

Cormac: we'll see on Saturday whether I qualify in the top 10 this time. That's what we expect every race, but as you know, that hasn't always happened, so I hope we do well this time.

I: Pierre, every race, you provide increasing evidence that your win in Connecticut was a fluke. Do you believe your lax driving style has anything to do with this?

Pierre: my driving style suits some of the more complicated tracks, but I need to refine my style for the ovals, which need precision driving.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 9th June

Practice was an elucidating experience for all the drivers, who were able to put their studying to good use, and the drivers were raring to go as qualifying began. José was the first to go out, setting a tentative benchmark time of 0:45.474. this was quickly beaten by his teammate Cormac, who set a time of 0:43.937. Peppermint Patty beat that with a time of 0:43.432, before Eudora set a much faster time of 0:42.641.

Pierre, having faced criticism for his inconsistency in the past, demonstrated his skill by setting a time of 0:41.991, way faster than anyone else so far. Patty Swanson set a time of 0:44.905, putting her behind Cormac, before her teammate Violette set a time of 0:45.566, which put her squarely at the back. Sally beat her teammate by setting a time of 0:42.482, whilst Violet set a 0:43.849, ahead of Cormac.

Five set a predictably slow time of 0:44.629, only marginally ahead of Patty, while Pig Pen failed to challenge Pierre with a 0:42.642, a hair's width behind Eudora. Frieda fared little better, setting a 0:42.627.

Rerun was the first to get close to Pierre, setting a 0:41.999, while Mimi set an impressive 0:42.390, much to the chagrin of Thibault. Franklin set a time of 0:43.377, which put him behind his teammate, and Morag set a time of 0:42.595.

Lucy was quick in her Honda, setting a time of 0:42.252 to go 3rd for the moment, whilst Joe Agate improved very slightly on his recent form with a 0:43.821.

Schroeder and Linus were the only two drivers to beat Pierre, setting times of 0:41.957 and 0:41.893 respectively, whilst Harold Angel set a middling 0:43.156, and Marcie set a 0:42.537. Shermy set a time of 0:43.851 just behind his teammate, and Charlie Brown ended the session with a 0:42.042.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order looked like this…

1st Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:41.893 2nd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:41.957

3rd Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:41.991 4th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:41.999

5th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:42.042 6th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:42.252

7th Mimi Sonatelli [Sky] 0:42.390 8th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:42.482

9th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:42.537 10th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:42.595

11th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:42.627 12th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:42.641

13th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:42.642 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:43.156

15th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:43.377 16th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:43.432

17th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:43.821 18th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:43.849

19th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:43.851 20th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:43.937

21st 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:44.629 22nd Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:44.905

23rd José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:45.474 24th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:45.566

After the session was over, the top three were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Linus, this is your second pole in three races, do you think you can hold on to the race lead this time?

Linus: That's what I aim to do. Luckily I have my teammate close behind me, so hopefully he'll be able to keep my competitors behind.

I: Schroeder, you've again made an impression, quietly occupying the front. Do you think you can improve your championship chances with a good outing here?

Schroeder: Yes. I think so.

I: Pierre, Linus says he hopes you can keep the others behind him. Do you plan to support Linus in his efforts to win tomorrow?

Pierre: I will try to win, but failing that, I will do my best to score as much points as I can.

I: Thank you.

In the paddock, Championship Leader Morag was also interviewed.

I: Morag, how well do you think you can defend your lead, starting from 10th?

Morag: I think defending it from Charlie Brown will be a hard ask, but I should still be competitively placed after tomorrow, I think.

I: Thank you.

Late that evening, the drivers returned to their hotels, and slept, feverishly anticipating the race on the following day

Sunday 17th June – Race Day in New Mexico

Linus's car was sat in pole position as he entered it, getting ready for the race which was due to start anytime soon, and Linus waited, building his confidence until the Announcer spoke.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!"

Linus did so, as did everyone else. The pace car then led everyone around the course for the formation lap.

"As the pace car leads the drivers around this New Mexico airport circuit, the drivers will have 64 laps to battle it out for victory. Can Linus hold on for Victory!? We'll soon find out, and as the pace car pulls into the pits, the New Mexico Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Linus got a good start making a steady getaway while Schroeder held position. Mimi was leapfrogged by Sally into the first corner, having made a poor start. Peppermint Patty had managed to get past Franklin going into the hairpin, whilst at the same time, Violet seared past Joe Agate.

On lap 2 however, there was trouble. Peppermint Patty made a move up the inside of Harold Angel going into the hairpin, but Harold was late to react and turned in on her, colliding at the apex. Harold Angel was spun round as Peppermint Patty's front wing fell off and became trapped under her front wheels, cutting into the tyres and ruining her afternoon. Harold Angel's car spun into the path of Franklin, who tried to avoid him, but ended up colliding with his left rear wheel, and he was spun around, off the track and out of the race also.

Unable to turn with the wing trapped under her front wheels, Peppermint Patty parked her car in the run-off area at the end of the straight. All three drivers involved in the accident got out unhurt. The pace car was brought out so the marshals could clear the wreckage.

When the pace car pulled in on lap 7, Linus made a good restart, distancing himself from Schroeder. Pierre got caught out by their speed, and was quickly passed by both Rerun and Charlie Brown, who spent the rest of the race locked in a battle for third.

The pack began to settle down and spread out as the laps went on, but there was still plenty of battles going on. Pig Pen, for example, made his way past Eudora on lap 11, whilst José Peterson had also made his way past Patty and Five. Morag passed Marcie on lap 17, in a skilful move under braking before the last corner, and quickly caught up to Mimi who was struggling to keep up with Sally. Morag passed her on lap 20, putting her down to 9th whilst Thibault watched on from the paddock.

On lap 23, Cormac got past Shermy, who was struggling with understeer. Up front, Charlie Brown and Rerun continued to battle, trading places every few laps, whilst Pierre fell further behind them. Lucy eventually overtook Pierre on lap 29.

On lap 33, Shermy retired with a steering arm failure, pulling off the track and stopping next to the barrier, and a few laps later, Patty Swanson retired with a throttle linkage failure, causing her to pull into the pit garage and stopping the car.

By lap 42, Mimi had been passed by Marcie, and was starting to fall within distance of Frieda, but Frieda was too busy keeping Pig Pen behind her to benefit from Mimi dropping down to 10th. Joe Agate then fell behind Cormac on lap 46, and then behind José on lap 47, before it became apparent he had a problem with his car, and Joe Agate retired in the pits with a hydraulics failure a lap later.

At the front, Rerun and Charlie Brown continued to trade places, with no risk of being overtaken by Pierre. Remarkably, they hadn't hit each other once, but the Renault team were getting anxious, and on lap 55, the team asked the drivers to hold station, whilst Rerun was in front. Frieda managed to shake off Pig Pen, and began to close in on Mimi, passing her on lap 63. Linus was comfortably at the front on the final lap, Schroeder hanging back around two seconds behind, as Linus sped down the back straight for the final time, and rounded the final two corners.

"And Linus Van Pelt wins in New Mexico! Schroeder is 2nd, and Rerun is 3rd! Charlie Brown is 4th, with Lucy 5th, Pierre 6th, Sally 7th, Morag 8th, Marcie 9th, and Frieda rounding out the top 10! Mimi was 11th, Pig Pen 12th, Eudora 13th, Violet 14th, Cormac 15th, José 16th, Five 17th, and Violette was the last finisher in 18th.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 101pts 2nd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 98pts

3rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 95pts 4th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 88pts

5th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 78pts 6th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 77pts

7th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 77pts 8th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 72pts

9th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 71pts 10th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts

11th Sally Brown [Polestar] 43pts 12th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts

13th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts 14th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 34pts

15th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 32pts 16th Patty Swanson [ACE] 31pts

17th Harold Angel [Isdera] 24pts 18th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 14pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1pt

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 0pts

Linus parked his car on Victory Road, receiving gracious applause from the plethora of spectators as he got out of the car and embraced his team, who celebrated with him, before three of them went up to the podium. In the waiting room, Linus congratulated his brother on achieving 3rd place, and Rerun did likewise, while Schroeder smiled with them, before they went out onto the podium.

The three of them stood still as the American anthem played and the three American flags unfurled. The Italian anthem played after the American anthem finished. The three competitors were given their trophies, before they drank their milk, waved to the crowd, and went off to the pressroom.

Inside, the press had several questions for them.

I: Linus, finally after 11 races, you've now added a win to your points tally. How do you feel right now?

Linus: I feel pretty good. I'm very high up in the championship now, I didn't think I'd make it this far up, to be honest, but good racing and good fortune has got me here.

I: Schroeder, once again, you've delivered big points when your team need it most. How proud are they of you today?

Schroeder: I heard over the radio that we're still second in the constructor's championship, just a few points behind Renault. I think they're proud of me. But I need to keep doing well to challenge Linus.

I: Rerun, you've proved a lot of doubters wrong with your driving today, do you think the same?

Rerun: I think I've proved I can both fight fairly and finish ahead of my teammate, and also put away any rumours of team orders too.

I: Thank you.

New Championship Leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed, down in the paddock.

I: So, 4th place, and now a 3 point lead in the championship. Do you think you had a good weekend?

Charlie Brown: I think so. I could have gotten third, I think, but at the end of the day, I'm not worried about my position in the Championship, and all I can do is work even harder next race.

I: Thank you.

The Vittoria team celebrated long into the evening, and Linus returned to the hotel long after the other drivers were asleep. He was exhausted, and quickly hopped into bed and fell asleep, as the drivers rested themselves for the days and weeks ahead.


	13. Race 12: Kansas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are big changes at Thibault's team, as the drivers move onto the next race.

Tuesday 19th June

The drivers spent a few days in Santa Fe before they were due to travel to Kansas for the next race. No meeting was scheduled for this week, as Morag and Roy were still busy compiling a list of the associates of those she described in her presentation. Meanwhile, Roy's father had finally published Thibault's story, at the same time notifying local police of the allegations.

On Tuesday night, a small cohort of police officers (the rare sort that actually act like officers should) were dispatched to the house belonging to Thibault's manager. The manager's wife answered the door, seeing as her husband was still in Santa Fe, and when interviewed, she corroborated Thibault's suspicions, and showed them the scars to prove it.

Despite the protestations of the team's investors, and privately, of the sport's governing body, the Team Sky Manager was arrested in the late hours of Wednesday morning, on domestic abuse and violence charges, and was replaced at his team by his deputy, an aspirational woman whom Thibault had begun to respect, thanks to her no nonsense approach and knowledge of technical data; indeed, Thibault had begun to markedly improve as soon as he started listening to her.

Thursday 21st June

Team Sky's new boss' first decision was to allow Thibault back into the garage. And Mimi, Joe Agate and Thibault, were driven by her in the Volkswagen Touareg to Kansas Speedway, at around 9am.

The Party Bus left at 9:30, with the top ten drivers on board, and at the same time, Five, Cormac, Violette, Patty, and Harold Angel all left in the Team Cherokee Jeep, while Peppermint Patty, Violet, José and Franklin left in the Team Honda's Honda Civic, and Eudora, Pig Pen, and Shermy took the Polestar Team's Volvo XC90 to Kansas.

They all arrived at the track late in the evening, and swiftly, they retired to their hotels to rest for the night.

When the press, teams and cars arrived on the morning of Tuesday 26th, the press, hearing of Thibault's return to the garage, among other things, swarmed the Team Sky garage, where the new team principal confirmed she would be leading for the foreseeable future and that she would still honour Mimi's three race contract.

Morag and Roy were hanging around the paddock, chatting and taking notes, whilst the others went about preparing for the race, as usual.

Thursday 28th June – Pre-Race Press Conference.

Once again, another 5 drivers were picked to be interviewed before the race, in the pressroom. These 5 were: Sally Brown, Pig Pen, Marcie, Violette, and Linus.

I: Sally, you and your teammate seem to be evenly matched. Is there any team infighting as to who is the best driver?

Sally: We get along quite well actually, though of course we disagree on who is the best. I'd like to think the standings speak for themselves on that matter.

I: Pig Pen, having led the championship for so long, you now seem to be drifting away in the championship fight, how do you plan to rectify this?

Pig Pen: I need to qualify better than I have been doing. That's always important to getting good results.

I: Marcie, so far you've scored the lion's share of your team's points. Is this something to do with the car, or is it just your speed?

Marcie: I think it's a bit of both. Five seems to struggle with the car, whether it's a setup issue or just a difference in talent is something you'll have to ask him about.

I: Violette, your team had a poor showing last time out. I get the feeling you want to put that result behind you?

Violette: Oh definitely, we want to be scoring points every time we race, although sometimes that's just not possible. Who knows, we might even get a podium someday.

I: Linus, you're right in the title chase following your win in New Mexico. Do you think you can continue your form here?

Linus: I do think I can. I haven't proven that kind of form yet on an oval, but if Charlie Brown can do it, so can I.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 30th June

Everyone was eagerly awaiting qualifying in the afternoon. Practice had gone by without any notable drama and all the drivers were waiting for the session to start, which it eventually did.

Pig Pen was the first to go out, setting a time of 0:26.564, before Mimi set a time of 0:26.620, less than a tenth behind him. Lucy then set a 0:26.583, and Five set a 0:27.048, before Rerun set a time of 0:26.625.

Cormac beat Pig Pen's time with a 0:26.562, but was quickly beaten by Franklin, who set a 0:26.550. Patty Swanson set an even faster time of 0:26.524, but even that was slower than Morag, who set a time of 0:26.477.

Eudora set a relatively slow time of 0:26.826, while Violette set a time of 0:26.549, and Sally set a time of 0:26.588. Harold Angel was slightly faster than her, setting a 0:26.573, while Joe Agate impressed with a time of 0:26.556.

Linus struggled with the car, only setting a time of 0:26.562, putting him behind Cormac. He was overshadowed by Peppermint Patty, who took the top spot from Morag with a time of 0:26.470. Frieda had similar problems with her car, only being able to set a 0:26.590, but this was still way better than Violet who put herself near the back with a time of 0:26.790.

Marcie set a decent time of 0:26.553, before Charlie Brown then set the fastest time of the session with a 0:26.465. Shermy and José impressed with times of 0:26.539 and 0:26.506 respectively. Pierre found himself at the back with a time of 0:28.156, and Schroeder set the final time of the session, a 0:26.595.

After qualifying was over, the grid order was as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:26.465 2nd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:26.470

3rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.477 4th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:26.506

5th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:26.524 6th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.539

7th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:26.549 8th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:26.550

9th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:26.553 10th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:26.556

11th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:26.562 12th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:26.562

13th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:26.564 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.573

15th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:26.583 16th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:26.588

17th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:26.590 18th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:26.595

19th Mimi Sonatelli [Sky] 0:26.620 20th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.625

21st Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:26.790 22nd Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:26.826

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:27.048 24th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:28.156

After the session was over, the top three drivers were interviewed.

I: Charlie Brown, this is now your 4th pole from 12 races, you're starting to get a knack for this. How do you maintain enough focus to put in a lap like that?

Charlie Brown: Well, usually I try not to worry about the lap and think about other things, because when you worry about your lap time, you start making mistakes.

I: Peppermint Patty, you're on the front row for the first time in a long while. How confident are you that you can win this race?

Peppermint Patty: I'd say I can do it, I'm not very far behind him am I?

I: Morag, you and Charlie Brown seem to be the main competitors, why do you think that is?

Morag: Well, we seem to be the most consistently fast drivers in the field, I don't think there's a lot more to it than that.

I: Thank you.

Charlie Brown's nearest championship rival, Linus, was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: Linus, you start 12th today, did you just no get to grips with the car today?

Linus: yeah, I couldn't quite get a solid lap in. If I had I'd be further up the front, but that's just how it is sometimes.

I: Thank you.

As the day ended and night began, the drivers went back to their hotel and slept, in order to e rested for tomorrow's race.

Sunday 1st July

Charlie Brown sat in the cockpit of his car as it sat on the grid. The lack of cars in front of him was a somewhat familiar sight, being at the front of the grid, waiting for the announcer to begin speaking.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!"

Charlie Brown did so, as did everyone else. The pace car began to lead the cars around the track as the announcer commentated.

"As the pace car leads the drivers around Kansas Speedway, they will have 100 laps to battle for victory. And as the pace car pulls into the pits, the Kansas Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!

Charlie Brown got a decent start, but Peppermint Patty got a better one, overtaking him into the first banked turn, and the cars behind them held position, with the exception of Frieda, who got past Sally before the end of the lap. On lap 4, Linus made his way past Cormac on the back straight, and Franklin managed to get past Violette. Rerun passed Mimi on lap 7, and Marcie also got past Violette on lap 12, with Franklin overtaking Shermy a lap later.

Morag took the lead from Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown on lap 15, while Linus overtook Joe Agate, and Pigpen overtook Cormac two laps later. On lap 23, Marcie made her way past Shermy, who was struggling to keep the car straight. Three laps later, Schroeder got past Sally, whilst Frieda had got past Lucy and Harold Angel, and by Lap 30, Rerun had also got past the slow moving Polestar car.

On lap 31, Violette suffered an engine fire on the way to the pits, forcing her to park her car next to the garage while the pit crew and the marshals put the fire out. She got out of the car before she could get burnt and retired from the race. At the front, Peppermint Patty retook the lead on lap 35, pushing Morag into 2nd place. Pigpen then passed Joe Agate on lap 38.

On lap 42, Shermy lost control of the car, and began to spin. He corrected it, but by that point the car was on a collision course with the wall. Shermy tried to slow the car down, but the car still hit the wall pretty hard. He went in right-wheel-first, and the car scraped along the wall at turn 3, before drifting off to the infield. Cormac had to take evasive action to avoid hitting him, which cost him a position to Frieda.

Shermy's car came to a rest on the infield, and he climbed out his car gingerly, walking away from it with a significant limp. The pace car was brought out, while the wreckage was cleared, and Shermy was taken to the medical center for a check-up by the medical car.

The race got underway again on lap 47, and Peppermint Patty made a good getaway. The other Patty was quickly overtaken by Franklin, however. Schroeder was also quick to get up to speed, passing Harold Angel on lap 49. Cormac was passed by Lucy on lap 51, and then by Schroeder the next lap, before his car's gearbox failed, and Cormac parked his car in the pits, having dragged it in under its own momentum.

Joe Agate was being hounded by Frieda, and starting from lap 56, they traded 10th position for several laps. This allowed Lucy to catch up and by lap 70, she was right on Frieda's tail. Meanwhile further up the front, Marcie made a pass on Patty Swanson to take 6th place. Rerun then passed Harold Angel on lap 74.

The field settled down for a bit after that, But Rerun still managed to pass Schroeder on lap 82. Lucy made a daring pass on Frieda on lap 88, and defended the position strongly, keeping Frieda behind.

On lap 95, the Team Sky engineer's noticed that Mimi's car was developing a slow puncture, so the radioed her to bring the car to the pits and change tires, putting her in last place. Morag made a late attempt to take the lead, but Patty was aware of it and held her off as they went round the circuit for the final time.

"And Peppermint Patty wins in Kansas! Morag is 2nd, and Charlie Brown is 3rd! José Peterson is 4th, with Franklin 5th, Marcie 6th, Patty Swanson 7th, Linus 8th, Pig Pen 9th, and Joe Agate rounding out the top ten!

Lucy was 11th, Frieda was 12th, Rerun was 13th, with Schroeder 14th, Harold Angel 15th, Sally 16th, Violet 17th, Eudora 18th, Five 19th, Pierre 20th, and Mimi in 21st.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 116pts 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 113pts

3rd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 102pts 4th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 102pts

5th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 88pts 6th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 80pts

7th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 79pts 8th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 77pts

9th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 72pts 10th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts

11th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 46pts 12th Sally Brown [Polestar] 43pts

13th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 42pts 14th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts

15th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts 16th Patty Swanson [ACE] 37pts

17th Harold Angel [Isdera] 24pts 18th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 10pts

21st Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts 22nd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts

23rd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts 24th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1pt 25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 0pts

Peppermint Patty parked her car on Victory Road and revelled in the gracious applause of the fans, before running off to celebrate with her mechanics, before the top three went up to the podium. In the waiting room, the three of them each congratulated each other on a good race, while Charlie Brown expressed concern to Morag about Shermy's accident.

The three of them walked out onto the podium to raucous cheers, before the crowd fell silent as the American anthem played, and the American and British flags were raised. The Japanese anthem played after the American one finished. The competitors drank their milk and Peppermint Patty raised her fists into the air, while Morag and Charlie Brown just smiled and waved, before they all headed off to the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Peppermint Patty, this is you second win of the season, is this your way of marking yourself as a championship challenger?

Peppermint Patty: It better. I wasn't even considering the idea that I was out of the title fight. I'm here to stay.

I: Morag, your consistency is paying dividends at the front. Can you take the fight to Charlie Brown?

Morag: Sure I can. I've kept up with him this far haven't I?

I: And what do you say to that, Charlie Brown?

Charlie Brown: well, as the championship leader, I'm pretty sure I can hold onto it just as easily.

I: Thank you.

The nearest Challenger to the top three in the championship, Linus was also interviewed.

I: Tough race for you, huh?

Linus: you could say that. I'm pretty happy with 8th, I'm still in the hunt at least, although I'm waiting for Charlie Brown to come back so we can go and see how Shermy's doing.

I: Thank you.

Linus waited as Charlie Brown left the pressroom and joined him, chatting as they walked to the nearby medical center.

"You think he'll be okay?" Linus asked.

"I don't know. The accident looked pretty big, from what I could see. I don't think the organisers have said anything about his condition.

"The doctors are probably busy right now, we should wait a bit, and then go see him." Linus suggested.

"Hmm. You're probably right." Charlie Brown replied. The two of them hang around in the paddock up until about 6pm, when they went to the medical center.

Inside, the doctor was standing outside the room Shermy was in, seemingly not allowing visitors for the time being.

"How is he?" Linus asked.

"He's resting at the moment. We'll start allowing visitors when he wakes up."

"Any news on his condition?"

"Well, it appears he has sprained his ankle. It's nothing major, I'm happy to say. He should be fit to race in about two weeks or so."

"I see." Charlie Brown responded.

"I guess we should see him tomorrow morning, then, just before we leave." Linus suggested.

"Agreed. See you then." Charlie Brown waved to the doctor as they left, returning to their hotel, where they and the other drivers slept for the night.


	14. Race 13: Illinois

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a consequence of an accident from the previous race, Roy is selected to race in Illinois, along with the rest of them. A Big Accident during the race brings out the red flag.

Monday 2nd July.

Early in the morning, Shermy woke up in the medical center, and it was no wonder. The press mob had been slowly gathering outside for the past 3 hours, and their murmuring had become quite noisy. Eventually his doctor relented and allowed a select few to ask him questions, which he answered as quickly as possible. This was seemingly enough to placate them, as they had all but disappeared when Charlie Brown, Linus, and Roy came to visit.

"Charlie Brown, Linus, and Roy here to see you." The doctor told him.

"Okay." Shermy smiled in reply. The three of them each took a blue plastic chair and sat down.

"How are you?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I'm doing better than yesterday." Shermy replied, as he sat up in his hospital bed. "Still hurts though. I see you brought your notepad, Roy."

"I carry it everywhere I go." Roy replied, opening it.

"You won't need it today, the press mob's already been and gone. They beat you to it this time."

"Oh." Roy sighed disappointedly.

"They woke me up, the scoundrels." Shermy complained. The three of them all shared Shermy's nonplussed expression, before the conversation moved on.

"How bad was the damage?" Roy asked.

"Doctor says I got a sprained ankle, but I should be back racing in about two weeks." Shermy answered.

"But that means you'll be missing the next race at Illinois, won't you?" Roy continued.

"Yep. The press asked about that too."

"Did they ask who would step in to replace you?" Roy asked.

"They did, but I didn't say. I don't think the team have told you yet have they?"

"No. why would they come to me to announce their driver?" Roy responded.

Shermy and Charlie Brown chuckled. "I think he means to say that they'll be asking you to drive." Charlie Brown patted Roy's shoulder. "You're the second reserve after all."

"What about Thibault?" Roy asked.

"I don't think Thibault's going to jeopardise his chances of a seat at Sky by driving for a rival team." Linus answered, while Shermy nodded in agreement.

"I see. I should probably get going then. I don't want to make them leave the track late."

"Alright." Shermy said as Roy departed from the medical center.

"We should probably get going too." Linus suggested.

"I should be out of this place by tomorrow, I'll be watching you from the pitwall this week, hopefully." Shermy told them.

"See you then, Shermy." Linus waved goodbye as they too, left.

"You too." Shermy responded in kind, as he tried to make himself comfy.

Linus and Charlie Brown made their way into the paddock and back onto the party bus, whilst Roy checked in with the Zontec team, who were surprised that he knew what they hadn't told him yet, but when Roy explained himself, they accepted and swiftly welcomed him.

The party bus left at 10am with all the points scoring drivers on board. At the same time, Mimi was driven to Illinois in the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, while Lucy, Rerun, and Harold Angel travelled in the Team Honda Civic. Violet, Roy and Pierre took Team Zontec's Ford Ka, Sally, Eudora, Cormac, Violette, and Five took the Polestar team's Volvo XC90, and Schroeder and Friead went in their team's Opel Astra.

When he arrived, Roy decided he would make diary notes at the end of each day, as he learned to familiarise himself with the car, the team, and the preparations a driver needs to make to be ready for a race.

On Tuesday, the teams, the cars and the press arrived at the track, brimming with the news that Roy had been chosen to stand in for Shermy.

Thursday 5th July- Pre Race Press Conference

As with the previous races, 5 drivers were picked seemingly at random to be interviewed by the press. These 5 drivers were: Frieda, Marcie, Morag, Franklin, and Cormac.

I: Frieda, your team usually score highly, and on a regular basis, what happened in Kansas, and how can you rectify that here?

Frieda: We couldn't set the cars up the way we wanted to, but we're not in Kansas anymore, so our focus is to do better here.

I: Marcie, despite frequently scoring points, and even leading the championship on occasion, a first win has still eluded you. Do you think you can achieve it here?

Marcie: if we can avoid the kinds of failures that stopped us at Nevada, then I'm pretty sure we can at least challenge for the win.

I: Morag. You are the nearest challenger to Charlie Brown for the championship. Do you think you can take the lead here?

Morag: I'd only need to finish ahead of him by a position or two to do that. It's definitely doable.

I: Franklin, you came 5th last time round, is this the start of a resurgence to your early-season form?

Franklin: I hope so. I wouldn't want to be languishing in 13th place all summer, would I? I aim to qualify near the front this weekend.

I: Cormac, you looked to be in contention for the points in Kansas, until your car broke down. To what extent has bad luck scuppered your championship?

Cormac: I'll admit, it's hurt me a number of times, and more times than it has for José, but I'm not going to let that keep me down. Next time I'm fighting for the points, I will be staying there.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 7th July

The Saturday morning practice went by quickly, the drivers familiarising themselves with the track, which was slightly different to the ones they had raced before. Everyone got a feel for the track, but no one put in a serious qualifying-style lap, wanting to wait for the actual qualifying session to begin, which it eventually did. Peppermint Patty was the first to go out, and struggled, setting a time of 0:29.654, which was quickly beaten by Cormac, who sat a 0:29.156. The pair of them were subsequently beaten by Rerun, who set a 0:29.036.

Joe Agate had a tough time, setting a time of 0:29.882, but his teammate Mimi fared significantly better, with a time of 0:28.986, a time that Pig Pen, who set a 0:29.095, failed to beat.

Sally Brown then wowed the field with a 0:29.688, somehow finding a faster line than the others. The drivers the followed sought to emulate that success, with varying results. Violet set a time of 0:28.907 to go second, before Lucy went slower, with a time of 0:29.080. Charlie Brown could only manage a time of 0:28.937, just behind Violet. Sally's team mate Eudora also failed to capitalise from her teammate's success, only setting a 0:29.093, but this was at least better than Five, who set a 0:29.564, putting him third from last.

Pierre, using his laid back driving style set an ultimately decent time of 0:28.899, before Patty Swanson shot to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 0:28.328. Schroeder only managed a 0:28.960, and Franklin did even worse, setting a 0:29.218. José Peterson tried his luck, setting a 0:28.853, before Morag went second with a time of 0:28.480, seemingly understanding the secret to Patty and Sally's speed.

Roy, in a stroke of luck and/or genius, copied Morag's strategy to the best of his ability, setting a time of 0:28.549, whilst Harold Angel, whom Morag had told about the line she took on the final corner, set a time of 0:28.648.

By this point, everyone had worked out the way to take the final corner, with Linus setting a 0:28.749, Violette setting a time of 0:28.657, Marcie setting a 0:28.591, and Frieda ending the session with a 0:28.730.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order looked like this…

1st Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:28.328 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:28.480

3rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 0:28.549 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:28.591

5th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:28.648 6th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:28.657

7th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:28.688 8th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:28.730

9th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:28.749 10th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:28.853

11th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:28.899 12th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:28.907

13th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:28.937 14th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:28.960

15th Mimi Sonatelli [Sky] 0:28.986 16th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:29.036

17th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:29.080 18th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:29.093

19th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:29.095 20th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:29.156

21st Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:29.218 22nd 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:29.564

23rd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:29.654 24th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:29.882

After the qualifying session had finished, the top three were interviewed.

I: Patty, even after qualifying 5th last round, many people would still say you getting pole today is a shock. Do you sympathise with them?

Patty: I think they're right to be surprised, but I'm finally happy we were able to get the car set up right. We prefer it when we're competitive.

I: Morag. You seemed to learn the correct line to take exactly when it mattered. How do you feel about your championship prospects, given your rivals grid positions?

Morag: I'm confident. I think I can win this race, which would give me a significant advantage.

I: Roy, this is your first race, and yet you've qualified in third! How were you able to adapt so quickly to the car.

Roy: well, I practiced, and for qualifying, I studied what Morag was doing and followed her line as closely as I could. I guess you could say I'm a copycat.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed, in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, are you confident of holding the championship lead, starting where you are?

Charlie Brown: I doubt it. I might get some points, but I think Morag will have the lead tomorrow.

I: Thank you.

The drivers and the other team members went back to their hotels ad slept for the night, ready for the race ahead.

Sunday 8th July – Race Day in Illinois

Patty sat in her car on the grid with unwavering patience. She was used to seeing cars ahead of her, so a clear track ahead of her was very much a surprise. She didn't have much time to think on it, because the announcer was just beginning to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Start your Engines!"

Patty did so, as did Morag, Charlie Brown, and everyone else. I just a few short minutes, the pace car began to lead everyone around the track.

"As the pace leads everyone round, the drivers will have 95 laps to duke it out around this two turn, paperclip oval arena. And as the pace car pulls into the pits, the Illinois Spindycar Supertour Open is GO!"

Morag got a great start, overtaking Patty into the first turn, as the rest of the cars filed behind them, with Franklin muscling his way past Cormac before the end of the first lap. on lap 4, Pig Pen made his way past Eudora, with Rerun passing Mimi a couple of laps afterwards, and by lap 10, Peppermint Patty had made her way past both Five and Cormac. Joe Agate, however, was still struggling with the car, and a gap opened up between him and the rest of the pack.

Marcie managed to get past Roy into the first turn on lap 13, putting her into third. Frieda then passed Sally on lap 17, while Pig Pen overtook Lucy into the second turn, and Franklin overtook Eudora the following lap. Charlie Brown took a while to overtake Violet, managing to do so on lap 21, while Peppermint Patty overtook Eudora a lap later. On lap 25, Five retired from the race with a gearbox failure, managing to drag the car into the pits under its own momentum.

By lap 29, Marcie had gone into second, passing Patty, Rerun had passed Schroeder and Pig Pen had passed Mimi. Charlie Brown was making an attempt to pass Pierre, but was being held up, with some admittedly good defending. On lap 33, Harold Angel fought his way past Roy to move into 4th, while over the following 6 laps, Peppermint Patty snuck past both Franklin and Lucy.

On lap 43, Morag, who had led for most of the race, caught up to the back of Joe Agate, as made a move to lap him going into the 2nd turn. Joe went high, before cascading down near the end of the corner to cut her off. His car clattered into her, their wheels locking as they both spun 90 degrees, before the inertia pulled them up the other side of the track, creating a plume of tire smoke, and into the path of Violette, who moved to try and avoid them, but clipped Joe Agate's front wing, and was herself pitched into a spin on the start finish straight.

Sally, who was behind her, reacted later, and hit Joe Agate's front nosecone, sending her careening down the track and onto the infield, sliding down the inside wall facing backwards. Meanwhile, Pierre, unsighted by the tire smoke, crashed into the loosely lumbering right rear wheel of Violette, clambering over the right side of the car, and flying over her right sidepod, missing her head by inches. Pierre's suspension gave out when his car hit the ground, and squirreled out into the path of Charlie Brown, who clipped the front wing with his wheel, denting it inwards and forcing to pull off to the side of the track.

Most of the other cars got through the wreckage unscathed, except for Mimi, who ran over a stray front wing and locked her wheels up, only being able to slow the car to about 70 miles per hour when she plunged straight on into the outside wall. Franklin also ran over a piece of debris, causing a puncture, which delaminated, irreparably damaging the car as he trundled round to the pits as the red flags were waved.

Franklin hopped out the car and Shermy watched the screens with dread, as the tire smoke cleared. Charlie Brown was the first to emerge from his car, thankfully uninjured. Violette was the next to get up, clearly shaken, but also unhurt, at least physically. Charlie Brown was seen running to scene of Morag and Joe Agate's accident, checking to see if they were alright. The direct rear impacts had caused the cars' engines to catch fire, and Charlie Brown could only watch as the marshals pulled the two of them out of their respective burning wreckages. Instead he turned to Sally, who's car had thankfully taken most of the impact, and helped her get out of the car as they walked gingerly back to the pits.

Morag and Joe Agate were carried, conscious, on stretchers to the medical center for a once-over, to check for any broken bones or other damage. Pierre, despite flying through the air, was parked in the middle of the track, and he gingerly lifted himself up, and walked, clearly looking very sore, to a marshal's post, who gave him a lift to the medical center as well. Mimi then got out the car and walked back to the garage with a slight limp.

The drivers patiently waited in their garages while the marshals cleared up the mess, and after about 50 minutes they were ready to race again. The pace car led them away round the track again, before it pulled into the pits, allowing the racers to start lap 44. Marcie got a good getaway, pulling away from Patty and Harold Angel, who spent the next couple of laps squabbling over 2nd place, with Harold Angel winning the battle. At around lap 50, Pig Pen made a move on Schroeder, to go into 10th, before Frieda then overtook Roy on lap 55.

Harold Angel held second until about lap 62, when he slid coming out of the corner and had to correct it losing him time and positions, dropping him into 6th. This made it easier for the chasing pack to catch Patty, and by lap 68, Frieda had caught up to the back of her. Linus meanwhile, was right behind Roy, and managed to pass him on lap 72.

Further back, Peppermint Patty moved past Schroder, while her teammate Lucy fell behind Eudora on lap 74. Pig Pen was locked in a battle with Rerun for several laps, eventually passing him on lap 80. A couple of laps later, Frieda managed to pass Patty into 2nd. Harold Angel caught up to Roy and was held up by him for most of the remainder of the race, but Roy left the door open on lap 94 and Harold Angel took a risky opportunity and passed him in a scintillating move on the inside of turn 1.

It took a lot longer than usual, but the final lap eventually arrived, and Marcie led commandingly as they entered the start/finish straight for the final time.

"And Marcie Johnson wins in Illinois! Frieda is Second, and Patty Swanson is Third! Linus finishes fourth, Harold Angel is 5th, Roy is 6th at his first race! José Peterson is 7th, Violet is 8th, Pig Pen is 9th, and Rerun rounds out the top ten!

Peppermint Patty was 11th, with Schroeder 12th, Eudora 13th, Lucy 14th, and Cormac being the last of the finishers. Franklin, Mimi. Charlie Brown, Pierre, Sally, Violette, Morag, Joe Agate, and Five all failed to finish.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 116pts 2nd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 114pts

3rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 113pts 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 104pts

5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 102pts 6th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 90pts

7th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 88pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 82pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 78pts 10th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts

11th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts 12th Patty Swanson [ACE] 52pts

13th Sally Brown [Polestar] 43pts 14th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 42pts

15th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts 16th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts

17th Harold Angel [Isdera] 34pts 18th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 20th Violet Gray [Zontec] 14pts

21st Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts

23rd Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts 24th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

25th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1pt 26th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 0pts

Marcie parked her car and walked to the podium with a muted smile. In the waiting room, the three podium finishers congratulated each other on a good race and asked each other how the crashed drivers were doing.

"Charlie Brown's okay I heard." Marcie spoke. "I think it's Morag, Joe Agate and Pierre who are at the medical center at the minute."

"Let's just get these formalities over with, and we can join the rest of the drivers waiting for news." Frieda suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

The three of them walked out onto the podium and waved to the crowd, standing silently as the 3 American flags were raised and the American anthem played. After the anthem finished, the three drivers received their trophies, drank their milk and waved to the crowd as they walked off to the pressroom, where a selection of journalists had questions to ask.

I: Marcie, finally, after 13 races of being a frontrunner, you've finally won a race. How do you feel right now?

Marcie: I mean, I'm happy that I won, but I would much have preferred to do it under better circumstances. It would have been nice to fight with Morag fair and square, but ultimately that never happened. Hopefully we can duel again sometime in the future.

I: Frieda, you worked hard to get second place today. How proud are you today?

Frieda: I could say I'm proud of my performance, but again, this isn't the best time to do that. My goal is to keep this performance up next race.

I: Patty, Pole yesterday, 3rd today. Are you happy with what you've achieved?

Patty: I'd say so. It's both mine and my team's best result of the year, so we're pretty happy with what we've done.

Down in the paddock, only Violet was willing to take an interview.

I: Violet, pleased with 8th today?

Violet: it's my first points finish in a while, so yeah. Not sure why it's worth an interview, but I guess everyone's got bigger things to worry about right now.

I: A lot of drivers refused to speak to us.

Violet: I see.

Violet walked away coldly back to her garage. Linus and Marcie went to join the other drivers, who had assembled themselves in front of the medical center waiting for news about Pierre, Morag, and Joe Agate. Shermy and Thibault were there too, although Shermy was sitting in a plastic chair someone had kindly fetched for him.

Sally and Mimi arrived later, walking together as they both exchanged details of their own bruises. It was a while before a nurse walked out of the center, nervously holding a sheet of paper.

"Uhm, good evening. I'm sure all of you are patiently waiting to learn of the condition of your fellow drivers." The nurse read out slowly. "The three drivers admitted to our care have all been X-Rayed and we are pleased to report that nobody has any broken bones, fractures or sprains. Pierre admitted himself as a precaution and will be released later this evening. Both Morag and Joe have sustained significant bruises and will be kept under observation for another 24 hours in case their condition worsens. Thank you for your patience."

This caused a smattering of conversation among the drivers.

"Are we allowed to visit them?" Charlie Brown asked.

"No. we will only be keeping them for another 24 hours, barring any complications. You may go now." The nurse replied harshly, before turning back and hurrying inside the center. The drivers waited for another 20 minutes until Pierre emerged from the 'hospital' to a round of applause. Pierre and Linus walked back to the garage, with the others trailing behind them, having given up on any chance of seeing them until tomorrow.

Late that evening, the stewards announced that Joe Agate would be handed a 1-race ban for reckless driving, and as such would miss the next round at Indianapolis. The drivers returned to their hotel and slept uneasily, with another race in a week's time looming.


	15. Race 14: Indiana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a chaotic and dangerous crash in Illinois, Charlie Brown and co stay on to check on Morag and Joe Agate, and are split on whether to race in Indiana or not.

Monday 9th July

Morning broke, and the drivers got up begrudgingly, compelled by obligation to move on. Harold Angel, Roy, and Linus chose not to take the party bus that morning, preferring to wait until they were sure Morag and Joe Agate would be alright. Thibault and Mimi chose to wait as well, as did Shermy, Charlie Brown and Pierre. The of the rest of the drivers, Sally, Eudora, Cormac, Five and Schroeder left in the team Cherokee Jeep, while Lucy, Peppermint Patty, Franklin and Violette left in the Team Honda's Civic.

Those who remained spent the day discussing what to do.

"We should hold a discussion on whether to race next week." Charlie Brown spoke as the group sat around a table overlooking the medical canter.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Linus added. "We did the same when Pig Pen got hurt, so it's only fair, especially when we're going to another oval."

"The Oval." Roy piped up.

"Exactly. There's just as much chance of a monster crash there as there was here, and we should think twice before racing again. I propose we hold the meeting on Wednesday."

"Agreed." Harold Angel spoke. "Hopefully everything will have settled down by then."

The discussion branched onto other topics, and Roy took the opportunity to takes some notes down, which Charlie Brown eventually noticed.

"What are you writing there, Roy?" he asked.

"Oh. I'm writing an in depth article about the race weekend, and what is was like to drive in it."

"Sounds interesting."

"That's what I thought. Hopefully it should keep the press and public happy enough to let Frank do some more digging."

"Uh huh." Charlie Brown nodded.

"Like the crash wouldn't keep them hooked." Linus replied cynically.

Meanwhile, in the Medical center, Morag and Joe Agate were being checked over once more.

"Your bruises seem to be healing normally." The doctor said to Morag.

"They still hurt a bunch, but I admit it's not as bad as it used to be." Morag replied. "Are you going to allow visitors yet?"

"I doubt there's still anyone here that wants to see you. They should have moved on to the next race by now." The nurse replied from nearby.

"You'd be surprised." Morag replied. the Nurse, slightly unsure of herself, took it upon herself to prove herself right, and walked out of the front door. To her surprise she saw the group of 8 drivers huddled around a table.

"You're still here?" she asked in amazement.

"Of course." Charlie Brown replied with a grin. "Why wouldn't we wait? Some things are more important than motor racing, you know."

"You might as well come in then." The nurse gave in. The eight clamoured around the front door of the medical center waiting to be let in.

"Alright, guys, one at a time." a doctor pleaded. All 8 of them walked calmly in to the room where Morag and Joe Agate were recovering, and Morag's face lit up when she saw that Charlie Brown, Linus and Roy, and her teammate had waited for her. Morag reached for a hug, and Charlie Brown reciprocated, trying not to touch her painfully bruised back. Morag appreciated the gesture and began to draw away from the hug.

"Are you getting released from hospital today?" Roy asked.

"I should be. I'm getting better, and I can move. I can't really bend down, but I can walk and I think I can run." Morag. "I'll get another check up on Friday to see if I'm fit to race or not."

"And how are you doing, Joe?" Thibault asked.

"My Back still hurts, but I heard I'll have some extra time to recover. Damn stewards." Joe Agate grumbled.

"Hey. I watched it live, and that crash was entirely your fault." Thibault asserted.

"Since when did you get soft?" Joe Agate complained.

"I know we're bullies by nature, Joe, but you can't bully people off the road when the stakes are this high. You could have very easily killed yourself out there. And Morag too." Thibault explained firmly.

"My wheel was inches from hitting Violette's head." Pierre added.

"Not to mention the debris that could have flown into our faces." Charlie Brown took over. "The pair of you were very lucky yesterday. All of us were. You should pay more attention, Joe Agate, or you'll find yourself watching Mimi from the sidelines a lot more than just the once.

"Buzz off!" Joe Agate retorted angrily.

"Fine. Morag, we'll be waiting outside when the doctor lets you leave, okay?"

"Alright." Morag replied, as the gaggle of drivers left. Morag scowled silently at Joe Agate as he rested. It was about an hour before the doctor came in and discharged the pair of them. They walked out to find the 8 drivers ready to greet them, before they returned to their hotel for another night.

On Tuesday, other than Joe Agate, Thibault and Mimi, who left for Indy in the team's Volkswagen Touareg, the other drivers went to Indianapolis along with the team personnel, the cars and the motorhomes.

On Wednesday evening, at 7pm, Roy, Morag and the rest of those who had stayed called the other drivers for a meeting, at the Isdera motorhome. 25 drivers were in attendance, with Joe Agate choosing not to attend. Roy was the first to speak.

"Now then, you may be wondering why we've called you here. In light of the 8-car accident at last week's race in Illinois, those of us who stayed behind thought it would be a good idea to allow the drivers to decide whether to race here or not, in the interests of our own safety." Roy began.

"Some of you may be feeling a little apprehensive, and some of you might be raring to go, but if we do race, it should be because we agreed to, not because we are compelled by sponsors, or the AAMF, or anyone else." Morag added. "Now, with that in mind, all of those in favour of racing on Sunday, raise their hand. Five was the first to raise his hand, followed by Peppermint Patty, the other Patty, Violet, Cormac, Eudora, Lucy, Thibault, Rerun, José, Mimi, Pig Pen, Franklin, and Frieda. Morag counted up the votes.

"And those against?" Violette, Roy, Shermy, Pierre, Linus, Charlie Brown, Morag, Sally, Harold Angel, Schroeder, and Marcie all raised their hands, and Morag counted those votes as well.

"Alright. By a vote of 14-11, we agree to race at Indianapolis on Sunday. This meeting is now adjourned." Morag announced.

The drivers all returned to their teams, and then to their hotels to rest for the night.

Thursday 12th July – Pre-Race Press conference.

As usual, a selection of 5 drivers were picked to be interviewed by the press. These drivers were: Schroeder, Lucy, José, Eudora, and Franklin.

I: Schroeder, you haven't scored any points since your podium in New Mexico. Is your piano playing causing a downturn in form?

Schroeder: I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm still high up in the championship, and I'm sure I'll do better here.

I: Lucy, Peppermint Patty seems to have had the edge over you all season. How do you intend to prove doubters like us wrong?

Lucy: By doing better than her, of course. Last race was a bit embarrassing for me, I'll admit, but I will do better here.

I: José, a decent, but somewhat fortuitous result last time, do you think you can repeat that result here?

José: sure I can. I've gotten podiums before. I don't see why I can't do that here.

I: Eudora, you haven't scored any points since you were in Colorado. How essential is it that you score points here?

Eudora: it would be great if I scored points here, of course. However I don't believe my seat would be under threat anytime soon. My team are happy with me and Sally and I are both close to each other in the championship.

I: Franklin, you were caught up in the accident last weekend. Do you think anything could have been done to avoid it?

Franklin: are you talking about me and my driving, or the race in general? Because there are a lot of things the organisers could do, like listening to the drivers concerns, and not pretending everything is alright when it clearly isn't. Shermy sprained his ankle in Kansas, and we still don't know if Morag will be fit to race this weekend. We will continue to race, but the governing body needs a change of attitude before some gets seriously hurt, or worse, killed.

I: Thank you.

Friday rolled around, which meant Morag was anxiously waiting for a doctor to give her the all clear. She hadn't quite fully healed, but she wasn't going to let a little bit of back pain stop her. Roy was very busy, trying to observe what the sport's organisers were up to, and who they were meeting, as well as drafting the in depth article he was working on. He sat himself on a table outside the steward's office, and spent his day alternating between the two. He kept notes as multiple men in suits entered and left the building. It was all going smoothly until Mandy Wilcox left the building and approached him.

"What's that you're doing Roy? Shouldn't you be preparing for the race?" she asked, voice puckering through her thick lipstick.

Roy closed his notebook and looked upwards, recoiling a little as he saw her. "Well," he gulped, "I'm writing an article for my local paper about my experiences last week. I don't expect to be racing this weekend. Shermy's back to full strength and Morag expects to get the all clear from the doctor today.

"Okay. And what's in that little notebook of yours?" she asked.

"Notes for the article, and other bits of writing I do." Roy replied.

"May I see it?"

"No. they're my notes. I'm not going to let you see them, just like you'd never let me use your phone, not that I'd ever ask." Roy gave a firm rebuttal, before putting the notebook in his pocket. "Now please leave me in peace."

"Alright, have it your way." Mandy Wilcox walked off in a huff and re-entered the building. Roy got up and left too, figuring it would be safer to write somewhere else. He returned to Morag's garage, where she was smiling happily.

"You seem pleased with yourself." Roy commented.

"I got cleared to race." Morag replied.

"Good." Roy sighed in relief. "I dread to think how I would have done without you as a reference point."

"I know. So how has your day been so far?"

"I've got about half of the article done, and I also took some notes on the people meeting the bigwigs. Wilcox almost rumbled me though."

"Sssssugar, Honey, Ice, Tea." Morag remarked, trying desperately not to swear. "You have to be more careful than that."

"She didn't see my notebook, I can assure you." Roy replied.

"No, but she definitely thinks you're suspicious."

"Maybe, but when she first saw me, she assumed I would be racing, because I did last week." Roy explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah." And he told her the whole conversation.

"Bloody hell. They really don't give a damn about us, do they?" Morag responded.

"Of course not. We're just pawns to them."

"For what purpose?" Morag alluded.

"That's what we must find out." Roy replied.

"Yep. We should analyse and discuss what we have next week, and when the summer break rolls around, we can jump into the rabbit hole, so to speak." Morag suggested.

"I'm with you, but we should be careful." Roy agreed.

"Aye." Morag replied.

The two of them kept chatting, until Linus and Charlie Brown joined them, where Roy and Morag both talked about their day, and their next move. The gang split up and went back to their respective garages, and Roy returned to his father, who took the notepad and promised to identify the businessmen based on Roy's thankfully detailed description.

Roy rested easier, now that his friends were doing better, and his work was now in the hands of someone more qualified than him.

Saturday 14th July

Practice transpired similarly to the way it did in Illinois, with the drivers getting to grips with the track but still not attempting any qualifying runs, which would prove to be interesting when qualifying finally got underway. Morag was the first out on track, setting a time of 0:43.869, which Pig Pen failed to beat as he set a time of 0:43.893. Violette then put herself between the two of them with a time of 0:43.877.

Linus struggled with the car, and only set a time of 0:44.016, before Mimi went to the top of the timesheets with a time of 0:43.837. Eudora was disappointingly slow, setting a 0:44.258, whilst her teammate Sally was significantly quicker, posting a time of 0:43.842.

Pierre was set a time of 0:43.948, ahead of his teammate, before Harold Angel wowed everyone with a time of 0:43.693, an entire tenth faster than anyone else had set.

Rerun was not even close to him, setting a 0:43.899 to go behind Pig Pen. Marcie fared better, slotting into 2nd place for the time being, with a 0:43.809. Thibault, on his return for Team Sky, set a very competitive 0:43.777, whilst Shermy, having recovered from his accident in Kansas, was a fraction behind him, setting a 0:43.784.

Violet was out to prove she was the best in the Zontec team, however, and did so by setting a 0:43.725, the closest anyone had or would get to Harold Angel. Lucy, much like her brothers, struggled to get to grips with the track, setting a time of 0:44.275, before Franklin put in a time of 0:43.853.

Cormac set the slowest time, a 0:44.589, whilst Schroeder and Frieda put in better times of 0:43.762 and 0:43.838, respectively. Championship Leader Charlie Brown was competitive, with a time of 0:43.747, and Patty Swanson set a 0:43.817. José Peterson had a harder time, setting a 0:44.236, before Five set a time of 0:43.817, identical to Patty, before Peppermint Patty set the final time of the day, a 0:43.742.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order looked like this…

1st Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:43.693 2nd Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:43:725

3rd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:43.742 4th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:43.747

5th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:43.762 6th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:43.777

7th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:43.784 8th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:43.809

9th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:43.817 10th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:43.817

11th Mimi Sonatelli [Sky] 0:43.837 12th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:43.838

13th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:43.842 14th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:43.853

15th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:43.869 16th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:43.877

17th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:43.893 18th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:43.899

19th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:43.948 20th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:44.016

21st José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:44.236 22nd Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:44.258

23rd Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:44.275 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:44.589

After the session was over, the top three qualifiers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Harold Angel, a welcome surprise to see you on pole today, how did you find the extra speed?

Harold Angel: I don't really know, I just drove as fast as possible. Must have been a perfect lap.

I: Violet, you and your teammate have shown a much needed turn of speed here? Would you say you two are on the up and up?

Violet: You could say that. We scored a lot of points in Illinois, and we look like scoring a few points here too.

I: Peppermint Patty, of the main championship contenders, you and Charlie Brown are the only ones at the front, would you say you stand a chance of closing the gap tomorrow?

Peppermint Patty: Of course. Not to be overconfident, but I think I stand a pretty good chance of winning here.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed, down in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, with so many of your rivals struggling today, surely you must be feeling confident of keeping your championship lead tomorrow?

Charlie Brown: Who knows what will happen tomorrow. Morag got taken out from the lead last week, so there's no reason I won't befall some bad luck tomorrow. We'll just have to wait and see.

I: Thank you.

In the evening, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept, ready for the race tomorrow.

Sunday 15th July – Race Day at Indianapolis

Harold Angel sat on pole position slightly apprehensive. His pole lap had come as a surprise to him as well as the rest of the paddock, and with the team's success today resting almost entirely on his shoulders, the wait for the announcer was more unbearable than ever, but eventually, it happened.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your engines!"

Harold Angel did so, as did everyone else. The pace car led all the drivers round on the formation lap, while the announcer spoke.

"200 miles. 80 laps. 24 drivers. Will Harold Angel be able to convert pole into a victory, or will the challengers behind him take the win. Find out, as the pace car pulls into the pits, and the Indiana Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Harold Angel got a good start, but Violet was caught napping, getting overtaken into turn 1 by both Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown. Linus also got a good start, overtaking his teammate Pierre by turn 3.

By the end of lap 8, Morag had passed Franklin, and Pig Pen had passed Violette. On lap 11, Linus squeezed past Rerun at turn 2, while further ahead, Five fell behind Mimi. Peppermint Patty spent the next few laps closing in on the lead, and had overtaken Harold Angel by lap 18.

On lap 23, Marcie got past Shermy, while Morag overtook Sally on the pit straight a couple of laps later. Franklin let Pig Pen through on lap 26, and Linus then moved his way past Violette on the following lap. Frieda overtook Five as well on lap 32, and Pierre had fallen behind José by lap 36.

Given that this race was at least 50 miles longer than any other race they'd run this season, there was a necessity for the drivers to stop for new tyres.

Patty Swanson was the first to pit for tyres on lap 37, with the others pitting between laps 38-43. The positions were largely unchanged. However, Schroeder had fallen to 10th after the mechanics were slow taking off his front right tyre, while a slick pit stop from Team Sky allowed Thibault to leapfrog Violet. Linus had also leapfrogged both Pig Pen and franklin in the pits too.

Rerun was the first to make use of his new tires, passing Violette into turn 4, on lap 44. Marcie, however, was enjoying them even more passing both Violet and Thibault on laps 49 and 57, respectively.

Shermy was not able to make use of his tyres for very long, falling behind both Patty Swanson and Mimi on lap 60 after going to the high side at turn 2. Charlie Brown had spent most of the stint catching up to Harold Angel, and he too passed him on lap 63. Morag passed Five two laps later, whilst on the same lap, Rerun muscled past Franklin, and José Peterson got past Violette.

On lap 68, Eudora, running second from last, brushed the wall lightly on the exit of turn two, causing her tyre to puncture. Eudora was forced to pull into the pits and retire after cruising onto pit road, out of the way of the other cars. Two laps later, her team mate Sally was overtaken by Linus.

Late in the race, Patty Swanson's tyres began to age, over the final ten laps, she was passed, first by Mimi, then by Schroeder and Frieda, who had passed Shermy on lap 71. Morag passed Shermy as well on the final lap, but at the front, the cars were already finishing.

"And Peppermint Patty wins at Indianapolis! Charlie Brown finishes second, and Harold Angel ends up in third! Marcie is 4th, Thibault makes a great return in 5th, Violet is 6th, Mimi scores her first points in 7th, Schroeder is 8th, Frida is 9th, and Patty Swanson rounds out the top ten!

Shermy was 11th, with Morag 12th, Five 13th, Linus 14th, Sally 15th, Pig Pen 16th, Rerun 17th, Franklin 18th, José Peterson 19th, Violette 20th, Pierre 21st, Lucy 22nd, and Cormac 23rd, with Eudora filing to finish.

In the Championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 134pts 2nd Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 127pts

3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 116pts 4th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 114pts

5th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 113pts 6th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 92pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 92pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 82pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 78pts 10th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts

11th Patty Swanson [ACE] 53pts 12th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts

13th Harold Angel [Isdera] 49pts 14th Sally Brown [Polestar] 43pts

15th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 42pts 16th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts

17th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts 18th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts

19th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts 20th Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts

21st Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 11pts 22nd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts

23rd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 8pts 24th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts

25th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 5pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

Peppermint Patty parked her car on Victory Road and got out of the car, raising both her fists in the air in celebration, before going over and high fiving the mechanics. The three podium finishers then walked up to the podium. In the waiting room, the three drivers congratulated each other on a good race, before walking out onto the podium.

The three of them stood and waited while the American anthem played and the American and British (for Harold Angel) flags unfurled. The Japanese anthem played after the American anthem finished. After that, they received their trophies, drank their milk, and waved to the crowd, before heading off into the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Peppermint Patty, congratulations on your third win of the season. Your championship hopes must be pretty good now, I presume?

Peppermint Patty: Yeah. We're not far behind Charlie Brown now, but I think the other contenders will come back stronger next race, so I'll have to keep this up.

I: Charlie Brown, you appear to be the favourite to win the championship at the moment. Do you agree with this?

Charlie Brown: I'm happy to hear that, but I do feel I've been a bit lucky recently. It remains to be seen whether I can make the best of tougher circumstances as and when they appear.

I: Harold Angel, third place for you, you must feel pretty proud of your performance this weekend.

Harold Angel: Yeah. This is my best result, and the team is very happy to see I can score points when Morag is unable to.

I: Thank you.

Marcie, who is now 3rd in the championship, was interviewed in the paddock.

I: Marcie, a sterling drive from 8th on the grid to 4th in the race. How important was that result do you think?

Marcie: Oh, very. Without it, we'd be at risk of falling out of the championship battle like a lot of other drivers have done. We're still 17 points behind Charles, so we've got a lot to work on.

I: Thank you.

After an evening of celebration, the drivers returned to their hotels and rested for the night.


	16. Race 15: Missouri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown, Linus, and Morag go over Roy's notes, as they and the others head to Missouri for the next race

Monday 16th July

Monday morning in Indianapolis was busy, for some. As promised, Morag, Roy, Charlie Brown and Linus had assembled at a picnic table in a nearby park and were about to discuss Roy's latest news.

"We heard from Morag you did some digging." Charlie Brown began.

"Yeah, I did." Roy replied, taking his notebook from his pocket and opening it up.

"I was sat outside the steward's office, and I saw 4 men in suits who came in to speak to Ms Wilcox. I didn't get to hear any details of their meeting, but I got a good description of what they looked like." Roy shared his info with the group.

"Let's see then." Morag beckoned curiously. Roy handed the notebook to her and after a quick glance, she handed it to Linus.

"I see." Linus peered at the info on the page. "Should I read it out loud?" Linus asked.

"Sure, go ahead. There's no one else here." Morag scanned the area around her as she said so.

"Ok. Person 1: 5"11, white, average weight. Brown hair, unstyled. Wears glasses, has a lanyard. Grey suit with red tie. gold watch and polished business shoes." Linus began.

"Person 2: 6"2, white, skinny. Short black hair. Black pinstripe suit. Carries a briefcase. He checked his keys, of which one was for a Ferrari. Wears shades indoors." He continued.

"Person 3: White, 5"9, mildly overweight. Short dark brown hair, navy blue suit with red tie. Wears a NASA lapel pin."

"And finally, Person 4: Black, 6ft, muscular. Very short black hair, dressed in a casual jacket and formal trousers. Nike logo on jacket." Linus finished.

"Thank you, Linus. Roy, if you find anything more about these four, please tell me. I think I can work out who's who before the summer break. Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome." Roy returned the thanks. "My dad's also working on it so he may be able to help."

"Thanks. Try not to get into trouble, now." Morag reminded him.

"I know." Roy assured her. "See you soon." The four of them got up and left, returning to the track to help their teams pack up for the next race.

Thursday 19th July

At around 10am that morning, the top ten finishers left for Missouri on the party bus, with the others, consisting of Sally, Eudora, Shermy, Linus and Cormac in the Polestar Team's Volvo XC90, Lucy, José, Violette and Franklin in the Honda Civic, and Five, Rerun, Pigpen, Pierre and Morag in the Cherokee Team Jeep, leaving around half an hour after.

Charlie Brown and Schroeder were sat at the front of the party bus, and they began to engage in conversation.

"Did you hear anything about this track we're going to?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I heard it's in this big car park. My dad told me Formula 1 did a similar thing in the 80's in Las Vegas, and the drivers hated it." Schroeder replied.

"What does the track look like?" Charlie Brown asked.

"We'll have to wait and see." Schroeder replied.

As the party bus pulled in to said car park at around 4:30pm, their answer lay before them. The track consisted of a straight before a long acute left turn, followed by a right and another left turn, equal to that of the other followed by a straight, a 90 degree left turn, another straight, which led into a quick chicane before a another tight left turn led onto the main straight once again. There was quite a bit of space between the edge of the track and the wall, which came as a relief to the drivers, though it certainly wasn't impossible to hit them.

"It looks kind of U shaped, doesn't it?" Charlie Brown remarked to Schroeder.

"Yeah. At least it's safer than those ovals. Illinois was scary." Schroeder replied.

"No kidding." Charlie Brown replied. "I look forward to seeing how fast you are next week."

"You too." Schroeder responded. "I'm going back to the hotel. The team personnel won't be here until Tuesday, so I might as well study my notes there."

"Your track notes, or your music notes?"

"Both." Schroeder replied, leaving Charlie Brown to wait for his teammate.

On Sunday 22nd, Roy had arrived at the track, and his father had published the in depth article for him, which received a lot of positive attention over the following days. As Schroeder foretold, the teams, cars and press arrived on Tuesday 24th.

Thursday 26th July- Pre Race Press Conference

Once again, 5 drivers were picked to be interviewed before the start of the race weekend. These drivers were: Morag, Franklin, Harold Angel, Charlie Brown, and Frieda.

I: Morag, a disappointing weekend at Indy has put you 21 points adrift in the championship. Do you think you can improve you prospects here?

Morag: Sure I can. The car is still competitive, as Harold Angel proved, and the gap can still close, especially if he [Charlie Brown] is focusing on Peppermint Patty.

Charlie Brown: [looking across with a smirk] I am here, you know.

I: heh, right. Franklin, you've had ups and downs plenty of times this season, how do you plan to get up from this latest result?

Franklin: I need to drive faster, especially during qualifying. We'll see on Saturday where I am.

I: Harold Angel, you shocked everyone by getting pole and 3rd place last week. Will we be expecting similar form this weekend?

Harold Angel: We won't be certain until qualifying, but I'm feeling confident. Like Morag said, we have a good car, so we should do well.

I: Charlie Brown, you enjoy a lead of 7 points over Peppermint Patty and a big gap to the chasing pack. You're starting to look like the favourite for the championship. Do you agree?

Charlie Brown: We still have plenty of races, and everyone can still catch up, but as long as I'm consistent I think the championship is a possibility.

I: Frieda, your driving style has lent itself well to tracks like Road America. Do you see yourself doing similarly well here?

Frieda: I hope so. I need some points if I'm going to challenge for the championship.

I: Thank you.

Saturday 28th July- Qualifying.

It rained for most of Friday night, and the track was still pretty damp during the morning practice session. Many drivers struggled to set any decent lap times, or get a feel of how the track felt normally. The sun did come out afterwards, and by qualifying the track had dried out.

Violet was the first out on track, setting a time of 0:43.066, followed by José, who struggled, setting a time of 0:48.781. They were both beaten by Pig Pen, who set a time of 0:41.055. Lucy went out next, setting a 0:43.085, putting her 3rd for the moment, just behind Violet.

Harold Angel appeared to be fighting his car through the corners on his qualifying run, only setting a lap time of 0:43.885. His team mate Morag, however, suffered no such issues, beating Pig Pen at the front with a time of 0:40.640.

Pierre then set a 0:45.095 on his first lap, before spinning and hitting the wall backwards on his second lap, thankfully getting out unharmed. Violette also spun, but avoided the wall, but nevertheless, she only set a time of 0:46.314, which paled in comparison to her team mate Patty Swanson, who set a time of 0:40.930, just behind Morag.

Frieda had expected to do well, but couldn't quite get her car driving the way she wanted it to, setting a rather average lap time of 0:42.131. Joe Agate made a lacklustre return after his 1 race ban, setting a 0:44.258.

Linus fared even worse than his team mate, setting a 0:46.349, before clipping the inside wall at one of the corners on lap 2 and destroying the left rear of his car. He was also unhurt, but certainly frustrated with himself.

Shermy was next to set a time, impressing again with a 0:41.092, before Schroeder went fastest with a 0:40.455. Eudora struggled with her car, only setting a time of 0:43.534, while Cormac surprised many by setting a competitive time of 0:41.034, sneaking just ahead of Pig Pen.

Five was also a surprise, setting a 0:41.777 to put himself directly behind Shermy, but Rerun was even faster, setting a 0:40.132, a whole 3 tenths faster than Schroeder. Franklin set a lacklustre 0:42.787, before Thibault could only marginally better that with a 0:42.072.

Marcie set the eventual pole time, a 0:39.940, 2 tenths faster than Rerun, and half a second infront of Schroeder. Peppermint Patty couldn't keep up with that, setting a 0:42.437, while her championship rival Charlie Brown set a respectable 0:41.744. Sally Brown then finally closed the session with a 0:45.314, which put her 21st.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order looked like this…

1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:39.940 2nd Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:40.132

3rd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:40.455 4th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:40.640

5th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:40.930 6th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:41.034

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:41.055 8th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:41.092

9th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:41.744 10th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:41.777

11th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:42.072 12th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:42.131

13th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:42.437 14th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:42.787

15th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:43.066 16th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:43.085

17th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:43.534 18th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:43.885

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:44.258 20th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:45.095

21st Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:45.314 22nd Violette Honfleur [Polestar] 0:46.314

23rd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:46.349 24th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:48.781

After qualifying was over, the top three drivers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Marcie, you looked imperious on track today, streets ahead of most of the field. Are you confident you can win tomorrow?

Marcie: I think I can win tomorrow, yes. I'm sure the cars behind me will make me work hard for it, but I confident in myself.

I: Rerun, it's not often that you beat your teammate so comprehensively, are you looking forward to closing your gap to him in the championship?

Rerun: I'll have to beat him first, but yeah, I'll be very happy to see the gap close.

I: Schroeder, once again, you've put in a very fast time on a street course. You seem to be a specialist for these kind of tracks.

Schroeder: You could say that, but really I've just been fast this week. I think I might be able to close the gap to the front a little bit too this race.

I: Thank you.

Championship Leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed down in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, you're right in the thick of it today. Do you see yourself holding the championship lead into the next race?

Charlie Brown: well I assume so, my nearest rival is behind me and I can still fight my way up to some decent points.

I: Thank you.

That evening, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept for the night, in anticipation of the race tomorrow.

Sunday 29th July – Race Day in Missouri

Marcie sat in her car on pole position, looking comfortable and above all, calm. None of the hubbub behind her was going to alter her mind-set. The only thing she had to focus on was her race, no one else's. With a steely determination in her eyes, she awaited the announcer's voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"

Marcie did so, as did everyone else. The pace car led the drivers around the track as the announcer continued to speak.

"As the drivers make their way round the track, they will have 70 laps to prove they have what it takes to win on this temporary circuit in Missouri. And as the pace car pulls into the pits, the Missouri Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Marcie got a great start heading into the first corner, whilst Rerun held off Schroeder, and Pig Pen overtook Cormac going into the first corner. Further back, Linus managed to make a move past Violette before the end of the first lap. On lap 4, Marcie, Rerun Schroeder and Morag began to pull away from the rest of the pack, while behind, Thibault overtook Five into turn 3, and Linus made his way past Sally into the 90 degree left hander at turn 4.

By lap 10, Five had also fallen behind Frieda, and Lucy had made her way past Violet, while only a lap later, Linus had breezed past his teammate Pierre, and on lap 14, he passed Joe Agate as well.

Charlie Brown was being held up by Shermy, and after a long wait, he eventually got past him on lap 17.

Further ahead, Schroeder was closing in on Rerun, passing him on lap 22, while behind them, Linus was catching up to Harold Angel, passing him on lap 25. 5 laps later, Peppermint Patty snuck past Five while in front of them Shermy was battling Thibault for 9th place.

It wasn't until the midpoint of the race, lap 35, that Thibault managed to pass Shermy, and in front of them, Charlie Brown was getting very close to the back of Cormac's car, passing him two laps later. The race began to settle down after that with the only moves for the next ten laps being a pass by Franklin on Five and an overtake on Eudora by Linus.

On lap 46, Joe Agate was closing in on Harold Angel, but locked his brakes going into the final corner and rear ended Harold Angel, destroying his front right wheel and Harold Angel's left rear. The pair of them were able to drag their stricken cars to the pits, but the pace car was still brought out to allow the marshals to clear up the debris.

On lap 50, the pace car was brought in and the race was under green flags again. Morag made the best of the restart, passing Rerun into turn 1, whilst both Cormac and Shermy were kept busy keeping Thibault and Frieda behind. Marcie began to open up a lead to the rest of the field, with Schroeder and Morag following behind. Lucy overtook Five on lap 53, before on lap 57, Thibault managed to wedge his way past Cormac in a robust move into turn 4.

On lap 63, disaster struck for Linus, as his car's left front suspension failed, which forced him to trundle his way back to the pits and into his pit garages, for his first retirement of the season.

For the last seven laps, Schroeder and Morag began to close the gap, but they ran out of laps before they could get close enough to attempt a pass, so as they crossed the finish line…

"And Marcie Johnson wins in Missouri! Schroeder is in Second, and Morag is 3rd! Rerun is 4th, with Patty Swanson 5th, Pig Pen 6th, Charlie Brown in 7th, Thibault 8th, Cormac 9th, and Shermy rounding out the top ten! Frieda was 11th, with Peppermint Patty 12th, Franklin 13th, Lucy 14th, Five in 15th, Violet 16th, Eudora 17th, Pierre 18th, Sally 19th, Violette 20th, and José Peterson last of the finishers in 21st. Linus, Harold Angel and Joe Agate all retired from the race.

In the championship, the standings are as follows…

1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 141pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 140pts

3rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 128pts 4th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 127pts

5th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 114pts 6th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 110pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 92pts 8th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 90pts

9th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 90pts 10th Patty Swanson [ACE] 63pts

11th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts 12th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts

13th Harold Angel [Isdera] 49pts 14th Sally Brown [Polestar] 43pts

15th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 42pts 16th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts

17th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts 18th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts

19th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts 20th Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts

21st Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 15pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 9pts

23rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 7pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

Marcie parked her car on Victory Road and got out the car, raising a fist into the air in celebration, before she hi-fived all of her pit crew, and headed up to the podium along with Schroeder and Morag. In the waiting room, the three of them congratulated each other on a good race, and Marcie was surprised at the revelation the she was now championship leader.

The three of them then stepped out onto the podium, receiving warm adulation from the crowd. The three of the stood and waited while the American anthem played. Afterwards the three drivers received their trophies, drank their milk and waved to the crowd and celebrated, before heading off into the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Marcie, brilliant win today, and now you find yourself leading the championship. Is this a surprise to you?

Marcie: Oh, definitely. I knew I could win, but this is much better than I had hoped for. I'm very pleased to be leading, and I promise I won't let it go easily.

I: Schroeder, another great finish from you, was the win just a step too far today?

Schroeder: Yeah, Marcie was just too quick for us. The car was in really good shape, and we were catching up towards the end, but we couldn't win, unfortunately. We did score some valuable points though.

I: Morag, another podium has kept you within touching distance of the championship lead. Are you pleased with what you've achieved this race?

Morag: Well, like Schroeder said, we were both catching up to Marcie, so we could have done better, but I'm happy with 3rd, we cut our deficit to 13 points, and the championship is definitely still up for grabs.

I: Thank you.

Former Championship Leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed, down in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, 7th today, you now sit 1 point behind Marcie in the standings. Are you disappointed with your result today?

Charlie: I can't say that I'm not, but looking forward, we only have 1 point to make up next race, which shouldn't be too difficult for me, no matter what turn of form Marcie has had recently.

I: Thank you.

That evening, despite the win, there was little time to party, and many drivers stayed on to help pack up as much as they could before heading back to their hotel to sleep for the night. In other news, the stewards handed Joe Agate a five place grid penalty for the next race for causing his accident.


	17. Race 16: Kentucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morag, Charlie Brown, Roy and Linus attempt to extract clues from Roy's notebook, as the gang move on to the next race in Kentucky.

Monday 30th July

Morning broke quickly, as the sun beamed down on the Missouri tarmac, the party bus was there, waiting to take the top ten finishers to Kentucky Speedway. At around 10 am, the party bus left, with the other drivers having to use their teams help to get there. Frieda, Franklin and Violette travelled to Kentucky in the Opel Astra, while Peppermint Patty, Lucy, José and Harold Angel took the Honda Civic. Joe Agate travelled alone in the Volkswagen Touareg, whilst Five, Linus, Pierre, and Violet took the Team Cherokee Jeep, and Sally and Eudora taking the Polestar team's Volvo XC90.

On the party bus, Charlie Brown and Morag sat next to each other and discussed their situation.

"So, anything new since the meeting?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I have an inkling of who the 4th man might be. I'm going to see Frank on Friday to try and ascertain who the others are, and then we can use the summer break to try and get to the bottom of this.

"I see. If you need me to do anything, don't hesitate to ask." Charlie Brown replied.

"I will. Just keep an eye on them, and on Roy. If the bosses work out he or his dad is doing digging for us, I'm not sure what would happen."

"Okay. I'll make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

The two of them finished their conversation and looked out ahead of them at the freeway the bus was hurtling along. The bus took 6 and a half hours to reach its destination, with the other drivers arriving not so long after, after which the drivers went to their hotel.

On Tuesday 31st, the teams, cars and the press arrived at the circuit.

Thursday 2nd August –Pre Race Press conference

Like last time, 5 drivers were picked, seemingly at random to be interviewed by the press. These drivers were: Lucy, Violet, Eudora, Pierre, and Shermy.

I: Lucy, after 15 rounds, you sit 11th in the table with 54 points, 73 behind your teammate. Would it be fair to say she's beating you comprehensively at the moment?

Lucy: I'd say she gets a lot luckier than me. I can definitely beat her. I just don't sometimes.

I: Violet, so far, the highest position your team has attained this season is 6th place. Do you aim to finish higher here?

Violet: of course, although that will take a lot of skill, and maybe some luck too. We haven't had the best package at times, but we certainly can get results.

I: Eudora, you haven't scored any points since Colorado, and your team hasn't scored in the last 4 races. Is there a serious problem with the car's performance?

Eudora: The car is generally reliable. As for what's making it slow, I have no idea. We seem to really struggle during qualifying, but hopefully we can fix that here.

I: Pierre, that win in Connecticut seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? You've only had 3 points finishes this year. Surely you must be itching to have another here?

Pierre: Of course, I want to score points here. I thought I would do well in Missouri, but you all saw what happened in qualifying. Hopefully I won't make those same mistakes here.

I: Shermy, recently you've been qualifying decently, but your race pace leaves a lot to be desired. How do you plan to stop losing positions during races?

Shermy: make my car as wide as possible? I'm not sure what the best option is. Recently we've been setting up the car specifically for qualifying, which seems to work better than before, but that does hurt us in the races a bit. We'll see if I can keep people behind here, but this is an oval.

I: Thank you.

Friday 3rd August

Charlie Brown was hanging around the paddock, looking for Roy. It had been a while since he had spoken to him, and after what Morag said on the bus, he decided he should at least have a chat with him. He found Roy at a hot dog stand near the steward's office.

"You back here again?" Charlie Brown called out.

"No. I just like the hot dogs." Roy replied. "I'm looking for a story this week. I'll go back to digging later. Is there something wrong?

"I don't know. Morag seemed worried about you on the bus." Charlie Brown explained.

"Did she now? What about?" Roy asked.

"She wanted me to keep an eye on you." Charlie Brown.

"Is she afraid I'll walk into danger or something?" Roy asked, slightly concerned.

"Possibly, but that might depend on how careful you are."

"I see." Roy replied. "I'll have to think of something."

"I guess. But at least we have time." Charlie Brown sighed hopefully.

"Yeah." Roy responded. "Good luck this weekend!" and Roy left, hot dog in hand, and searched for a story.

Meanwhile, Morag was sitting at a table elsewhere in the paddock, having a conversation with Roy's father, Frank.

"Roy told us about the digging he did earlier." Morag began.

"Oh, he did? Do you have any questions?" Frank asked.

"Do you know who any of those people are? I can hazard a guess at the fourth, but the other three I can't pinpoint.

"Person 4 is an ex-basketball player, and currently works as a Nike brand ambassador. I don't see him as suspicious in any way."

"Good, that gives me less work to do." Morag replied. What about the other three?

"Person 1, I think, is a businessman of some kind. I'm not too sure about Person 2, or person 3." Frank replied.

"One of them has a Ferrari, the other wears a NASA lapel pin. That might help us." Morag pointed out."

"It will, but the investigating is my job, I don't want you wasting your holiday digging a hole you might not get out of." He warned.

"If I find anything better to do, I promise I'll do that instead." Morag cheaply responded.

The two of them finished their conversation and parted ways.

Roy, however was busy looking for a story. Walking down the paddock he decided to walk to the Cherokee garage to see if there was anything there. On his way there, he noticed a large, balding man dressed in a suit with a red tie walking towards him.

"What are you looking at?" the man asked irritably.

"Oh, nothing." Roy apologised and turned his face away, before ambling past him and continuing on his way.

Arriving at the garage, he was just in time to hear the team principal having a few stern words with Five.

"Now, we've given you plenty of time to catch up with Marcie, but as it stands, your teammate is leading the championship, and you are stone dead last. We need a faster driver. We are letting you stay, but on one condition." Roy heard the manager say through the wall.

"And what would that be?" Roy asked worriedly.

"You will have to double your current points tally every two races, from 2 to 4 to 8 to 16 and so on, otherwise we will have to find someone faster.

"Yes, ma'am." Five painfully agreed.

"Nice." Roy finished noting down the conversation in his notebook and dashed off to find his father, who was waiting for him at a pop-up café.

"So, did you find anything?" Frank asked.

"Yeah. Five has an ultimatum from his team."

"Oh I see." Frank replied, taking a look at his notebook. "I'm not surprised. The fact they bookend the standings makes him look embarrassing. What's this?" he pointed at a separate set of notes.

"Oh, a man with a red tie walked past me earlier. He looked a bit intimidating, so I took a note of it."

"Hmm." Frank replied. "Thanks anyway. You did good today, now how about we get some ice cream?"

"That sounds good." Roy replied, before going with his father to find an ice cream truck.

Saturday 4th August

Practice went by without any drama on a glorious sunny day in Kentucky, and before long qualifying was due to start.

Harold Angel was the first to go out, setting a time of 0:26.486, a time that both Schroeder and Five failed to beat, setting times of 0:26.751 and 0:26.586 respectively. Violette then put herself ahead of Schroeder with a time of 0:26.629 and Marcie set the same time as her team mate, a 0:26.586.

Shermy impressed with a time of 0:26.533, before Frieda filed behind him with a time of 0:26.549. Cormac set a time of 0:26.616, and Morag snuck ahead of Shermy with a time of 0:26.532.

Linus set a time identical to that of the leader Harold Angel, a 0:26.486, but as he set his time after Harold Angel, he placed behind him. His team mate Pierre was a stark contrast, putting himself last for the time being with a time of 0:26.921.

Patty Swanson continued her fine run of form, going fastest with a time of 0:26.484, and Rerun could only muster a 0:26.570 in response. Franklin was also impressive, setting a 0:26.508, before Joe Agate set a time of 0:26.562.

Charlie Brown put himself second fastest with a time of 0:26.485, before Eudora qualified near the back with a time of 0:26.619. Violet squeaked ahead of Five and Marcie with a time of 0:26.582, before Pig Pen set a fast time of 0:26.496. Peppermint Patty was also quick with a 0:26.526, before her team mate Lucy set a time of 0:26.717, just next to Schroeder, where she felt she belonged. José Peterson qualified last with a time of 0:27.234, whilst Thibault set a quick time of 0:26.497 and Sally Brown ended the session with the fastest time, a 0:26.462.

At the end of the qualifying session, the grid order looked like this…

1st Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:26.462 2nd Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:26.484

3rd Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:26.485 4th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.486

5th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:26.486 6th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:26.496

7th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:26.497 8th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:26.508

9th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:26.526 10th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.532

11th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.533 12th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:26.549

13th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.570 14th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:26.582

15th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:26.586 16th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 0:26.586

17th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:26.616 18th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:26.562 (PENALTY)

19th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:26.619 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:26.629

21st Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:26.717 22nd Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 0:26.751

23rd Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:26.921 24th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:27.234

After qualifying was over, the top three were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Sally, a surprise pole position from you. Do you think you have what it takes to win tomorrow?

Sally: sure, as long as my brother is nice to me.

*Charlie Brown rolls his eyes*

I: Patty, another strong qualifying from you. You seem to have the hang of this car, am I correct.

Patty: I'm on top form at the moment, and we seem to be able to set the car up just right. I hope we can get ourselves another podium.

I: Charlie Brown, another strong finish on the cards makes it seem you will take the championship lead back after tomorrow. How do you feel about this?

Charlie Brown: I'm feeling pretty confident. Hopefully I can win tomorrow, but I'm sure to face some challenges.

I: Thank you.

Championship leader Marcie was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: so, Marcie, what went wrong?

Marcie: I'm not sure. You'd think after 16 races we'd be able to consistently set the car up properly for an oval but here we are, both setting identical times in the midfield.

I: thank you, and good luck tomorrow.

Marcie: I'll need it.

Afterwards, as the day dragged into night, the drivers returned to their hotel and slept, in preparation for the race tomorrow.

Sunday 5th August – Race Day in Kentucky

Sally Brown sat in her car on pole position, waiting for the race to begin. The nerves began to build. She was starting to understand just how her brother felt during the countless times he had the chance to win, both here and when he played baseball. But that thought could wait, as with barely enough time to settled down and focus, the announcer spoke.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!"

Sally did so, as did everyone else. The pace car began leading the cars round on the formation laps.

"As the pace car leads, the drivers will have to face 95 gruelling laps of the Kentucky Speedway. Can Sally hold on for a shock win, or will the chasing pack take it for themselves? Find out! As the pace car pulls into the pits, the Kentucky Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Sally rocketed away into the lead, and Patty was caught napping, which Charlie Brown took full advantage of, overtaking her into the first corner, while the rest of the pack filed in behind her. Five dutifully let his teammate through before the end of the lap. Frieda scythed past Shermy on lap 4, before Marcie got past Violet a lap later, with Five following past in her slipstream. Lucy's car shut down with an electrical failure on lap 9, forcing her to retire the car.

By lap 10, Schroeder had overtaken Violette, Eudora, and Joe Agate, and was closing in on Cormac, passing him on lap 13. Linus overtook Harold Angel on lap 15, whilst, Charlie Brown took the lead from his sister two laps later. His teammate Rerun overtook Shermy on lap 20, before Schroeder overtook Violet on lap 24.

Not to be out done, Sally took the lead back again on lap 25, whilst Linus began to close in on Patty Swanson. Marcie overtook Shermy on lap 29, with Five following a lap later, trying to learn from his teammate. José Peterson made a pass on Pierre on lap 35, and Shermy was overtaken once again, this time by Schroeder, on lap 36.

Morag passed Peppermint Patty on lap 38, and by lap 42, Frieda had caught up to the back of her, they battled hard for the next few laps, but on lap 46, they banged wheels on the main straight and Frieda was pitched into the infield, the car barrel rolling in the air once as it hit the dirt, before landing upright and skidding to a halt. Peppermint Patty slowed and parked her terminally damaged car at the nearest Marshals post. Frieda, looking visibly shaken, crept gingerly out of her car, and limped to a waiting medical car, which took her to the medical center for a check-up.

The race was brought under yellows and the pace car was brought out so the marshals could clear the wreckage. On lap 51, the race was underway again. Sally was again quick to start, but Charlie Brown was faster, taking the lead into the first turn. Linus took third place from Patty Swanson on lap 54, and Violet overtook Shermy on lap 57.

Sally took the lead back once again on lap 61, whilst further back, Pig Pen closed in on and then passed Harold Angel to take 5th place on lap 65. Linus then spent the next few laps closing in on Charlie Brown, eventually passing him on lap 73.

On lap 77, Rerun's front right tyre developed a puncture on the back straight and Rerun, wary of the possibility of it delaminating and causing a crash, parked his car on the nearest bit of infield.

A few laps later, Morag passed Franklin to take 8th spot on lap 84. Meanwhile, on lap 89, Linus was closing in on Sally, and she could see his car in her mirrors as they approached the final five laps. Linus continued to close, passing Sally for the lead on lap 93. Harold Angel had a scary moment coming out of the final turn on the final lap, but recovered the slide, at the expense of two positions, while the cars ahead finished the race in front of him.

"And Linus Van Pelt Wins in Kentucky! Sally Brown is second, with Charlie Brown in Third! Patty Swanson is 4th, with Pig Pen 5th, Thibault 6th, Morag 7th, Harold Angel 8th, Franklin 9th, and Marcie rounding out the top ten! Five was 11th, with Schroeder 12th, Violet 13th, Shermy 14th, Cormac 15th, Joe Agate 16th, Eudora 17th, Violette 18th, José Peterson 19th, and Pierre last of the finishers in 20th. Rerun, Peppermint Patty, Frieda, and Lucy all failed to finish.

After the race, the championship standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 155pts 2nd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 142pts

3rd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 139pts 4th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 134pts

5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 127pts 6th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 110pts

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 100pts 8th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 92pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 90pts 10th Patty Swanson [ACE] 75pts

11th Sally Brown [Polestar] 61pts 12th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts

13th Harold Angel [Isdera] 53pts 14th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts

15th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 44pts 16th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts

17th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 40pts 18th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 23pts

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 9pts

23rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 7pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 2pts

Linus parked his car on victory road and held his arms aloft in celebration, as the crowd cheered. Sally celebrated as well, and Charlie Brown looked pretty pleased with himself, too, as they headed up towards the podium. In the waiting room, the two siblings congratulated Linus on a great race, while he extended his compliments to the both of them, which Sally was pretty pleased about.

The three of them went out onto the podium, and the raucous crowd fell silent as the American anthem played. The Italian anthem played after the American one finished. After that, the drivers received their trophies, drank their milk and received cheers from the crowd before heading off into the pressroom, where the interviewers naturally had some questions.

I: Linus, 5th yesterday, a win today. How do you feel after such a hard fought victory?

Linus: I'm pretty tired, actually. But I'm glad I won, it's good to be back at the front after struggling for a couple of races. I still have a lot of ground to catch up in the championship, though.

I: Sally, a good result for you, were you disappointed that you were unable to win?

Sally: I did my best, and I'm proud that I managed to keep my big brother behind me. I fought hard today, but Linus was just the better driver today.

I: Charlie Brown, you have a comfortable championship lead going into the summer break. Will you spend some time to relax?

Charlie Brown: Yeah, I guess. I'll be ready to race for the next round in North Carolina, so don't worry about that, but I will want to get some rest before then.

I: Thank you.

Marcie, 2nd place in the championship, was also interviewed down in the paddock.

I: Marcie, a hard race today, do you think you did a good job out there?

Marcie: We did the best we could. 16th to 10th is no mean feat, but we now a long way behind Charlie Brown. I'm thankful that I'm second in the championship still, but we have a lot of work to do.

I: Thank you.

Later, in the evening, Frieda was released from the medical center, apparently only suffering a few bruises during the crash. The rest of the drivers went back to their hotel to sleep for the night, pondering how they would spend the summer break.


	18. Summer Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang return home to their families, as well as taking some well earned holiday.

Monday 6th August

A number of drivers were packed up ready to leave by 10 in the morning, and many of them were going to the same place. Home.

If you'd gone to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, you would have seen Patty, Shermy, Eudora, Violet, Schroeder, Five, Marcie, Harold Angel, Pig Pen, Frieda, José Peterson, the Browns and the Van Pelts all queued up in a line for the next flight to Minnesota. As for the others, Pierre and Violette were in a different queue for a flight back home to France, Peppermint Patty was with her father, who had come to watch the race, and they were driving off south on a road trip to Florida. Cormac went home with his parents, Joe Agate went home with his parents, and Thibault joined him, avoiding his own parents, who were as bad as he was, if not worse. Franklin stayed with his team, as his parents had been there the whole time, and Morag had disappeared somewhere, seemingly without trace.

This was of course, as she intended. In actuality, she was taking a bus to Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to do some research at the public library. Roy's father would be looking too, and seemed to be doing a better job of it. He and Roy had travelled to San Diego, California, and while Roy was enjoying the sunshine and sightseeing with his mom, Frank was busy following the man with the Ferrari, person #2. His connections had managed to get him a name, and his task was now to find out what he does for a living. Frank had promised Roy to let him know what he finds, so Roy was free to enjoy his holiday in peace.

For the first week, the small town of Birchwood, Minnesota, sleepy and quiet for the past six months, was now bubbling with activity. Schroeder was enjoying being back at home, practicing Beethoven on his piano, although he wouldn't be able to play in peace for long. Lucy rested he elbows on the piano in front of him. She listened to him playing for a few minutes, before very audibly clearing her throat with an "Ahem."

Schroeder looked up in front of him and saw her. "How long have you been there?" he asked.

"Only for the past three songs." Lucy smiled back at him.

"Do you like my music, or is there something about me that has you twinkling your eyes like that?" Schroeder asked dismissively.

"Oh, sweetie, you already know the answer to that." Lucy replied.

"Yeuch!" Schroeder stuck his tongue out in disgust, as he turned away and went back to playing part III of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. When he finished that, and saw Lucy was undeterred, he walked off into his room and listened to some records, slamming the door closed so Lucy would get the message.

Elsewhere, Mr and Mrs Brown were helping the Van Pelts set up for a reunion party that everyone in the neighbourhood was invited to. Mrs Brown helped to put up bunting, and organise the chairs and tables, while Mr Brown helped to cook some of the food. That evening, they were joined by Pig Pen and his family, Schroeder's family, as well as Patty's and Shermy's. Violet and her family were invited, but declined to attend.

The party itself was a great success, with everyone involved enjoying it, some a little too much, as Shermy's dad would attest to, once he was sober enough to stand up. The rest of them were all gathered at the table, waiting to have cheesecake for dessert, as Mrs Van Pelt asked Charlie Brown a question.

"Are you enjoying this racing business?" she asked.

"Well kind of. I'm not sure if you've seen, but as much as it is fun, it can be quite dangerous."

"Oh we know about that." Pig Pen's parents piped up.

"You said you were sending letters to the organisers to stop racing on ovals, right?" Pig Pen recounted.

"That was after the big crash a few weeks ago." Pig Pen's mother added.

"Yet the organisers refuse to acknowledge that we are there, let alone take any action." Mrs Van Pelt added.

"Have you tried talking to the press?" Charlie Brown asked. "One of our friends has a journalist dad. He's very helpful, and a good listener."

"He's talking about Roy's dad." Mr Brown whispered to his wife.

"Oh. We didn't think he'd have much clout, so we didn't try him, but if you say so…" Mrs Van Pelt replied.

"Anyway, we're just glad you're here, safe." Mrs Brown said.

"Thanks, mom." Charlie Brown and Sally replied.

The party continued with music late into the night, and all of the guests went home happy, drunk, or both. The rest of the week proceeded much like a normal week at home, with Schroeder playing music, Snoopy getting up to his usual antics on top of his doghouse, and Charlie Brown failing to fly a kite. That Saturday, Charlie Brown and the gang had some fun playing baseball, and, since there wasn't enough players for an actual game, they enjoyed not having to lose for once.

Baseball on Saturday was followed by church on Sunday, and on Monday, both the Browns and the Van Pelts went holidaying to Winnipeg, where, among other things, they visited the St Boniface Cathedral, the Manitoba Museum, the Forks, and the Assiniboine Park Zoo. Additionally, they also visited Lake Winnipeg, where Linus, Sally, Rerun and Charlie Brown skimmed stones while Lucy wished she was anywhere but there.

The other kids in the neighbourhood also did some day trips of their own, exploring some of the sights the Twin Cities had to offer. Peppermint Patty was enjoying her time in Florida with her dad, being able to surf the Atlantic, explore downtown Miami, and visit Cape Canaveral, where as well as seeing a satellite launch, she also got to speak to a couple of NASA employees, who proudly wore their NASA lapel pins as part of their uniform, though Peppermint Patty thought nothing of it.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Roy's dad Frank had gone and left his wife and son in order to chase a different lead, while Roy and his mum enjoyed a week in San Francisco.

The Browns and the Van Pelts returned from Winnipeg before the end of the week, while Franklin and his parents returned home after two weeks vacationing in New York. Snoopy had managed to find a guitar in a skip while Schroeder was dog-sitting him, and Charlie Brown wasted no time in practicing playing it.

News of Snoopy's find spread to both Franklin and Pig Pen, and over the course of the third week the three of them practiced to their heart's content, with Franklin on Electric guitar, Charlie Brown on bass, and Pigpen on drums. Schroeder had heard they were practicing, but clearly wasn't interested in playing modern music, so he kept on playing Beethoven.

Roy's father Frank continued to gather details, as Roy and his mother spent their third and final week of holiday in Los Angeles, while Peppermint Patty and her dad had travelled up to Atlanta, Georgia, to sample some of the sights there.

Morag continued to be busy digging through the records of Charlotte Public Library for any more details on the four names who met with the sport's bosses. She had good enough leads for three of them and was only missing their names, which, she hoped, Roy's father would be able to provide.

As the week drew to a close, most of Charlie Brown's neighbourhood, as well as all of the other drivers, spent some time to exercise in order to be ready for the race which was now less than two weeks away. Most of them did some running, while Rerun played soccer, and Peppermint Patty partook in a variety of sports as part of her exercise regime. It would all be worth it in the long run, as before long, it would be time to return to the race track.


	19. Race 17: North Carolina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Brown and the others return from their holidays. Morag and Roy have new information, as the gang head for the first race since the summer break.

Monday 27th August

With the past three weeks being absorbed by the summer break, the Party bus was not needed. Instead, most of the drivers flew in from Minnesota after an emotional farewell to their parents, while the others flew in from the various other locations they hailed from. The teams were also packing their bags and hauling their cars and gear across America to arrive in Charlotte on time. Morag was the first person there, obviously, and the others were not far behind, arriving at about 2pm. Pierre and Violette were the last to arrive, at around 6pm, having travelled all the way from France.

Charlie Brown quickly caught up with Morag as she walked across the paddock.

"Hi Morag. Long time no see!"

"Indeed! How are you?" Morag replied.

"I've been doing great. I hope you haven't been pushing yourself too hard." Charlie Brown replied.

"I might have." Morag admitted, yawning.

"Well, we do have a race this week." Charlie Brown reminded her. "are we going to hold a meeting this week?"

"Of course. Friday, like usual." Morag answered.

"I'll make sure Linus knows." Charlie Brown replied, before they both headed back to the hotel with the other drivers for the night.

On Tuesday, the teams, cars and all of their kit as well as the press (including Frank and Roy) arrived at the circuit.

Thursday 30th August – Pre Race Press Conference

Like all the press conferences that had taken place before, 5 drivers were picked to answer questions from the press. These drivers were: José Peterson, Five, Peppermint Patty, Cormac, and Eudora.

I: José, your team seem to be struggling a bit, languishing near the back race after race. Do you see an uptick in form in the near future?

José: I hope so. The team have been working very hard over the summer break, so hopefully we will have something to show for it.

I: Five, rumours have been circling that your seat may be under threat. Are these rumours true?

Five: I have been told as much, but I have faith in myself and the team that I can hold on to it. You should expect a good result from me on Sunday.

I: Peppermint Patty, your race was cut short last time around, are you confident that you can recover your position in the championship?

Peppermint Patty: There's nothing that says I can't win here. I've had 3 wins on ovals and I can get a 4th.

I: Cormac, you sit right near the back of the championship standings, despite a 9th place in Missouri. Are you hoping to rectify that this weekend?

Cormac: Of course. Like José said, we've been working hard over the summer and we hope our R&D will pay off.

I: Eudora, you seem to be being overshadowed by your teammate as of late, what with her getting pole and a second place last time around. Do the teams still consider you equals?

Eudora: I'm sure they do, I've shown plenty of times I'm capable of getting results like she has.

I: Thank you.

Friday 31st August

Roy walked around the paddock, note book in hand. His father had given him the notes he'd spent all summer gathering, and he was very eager to show them at the meeting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Morag waiting patiently, sitting at a table outside of the Isdera Motorhome.

"It's been a while." Morag spoke.

"I know." Roy replied. "Been busy over the summer?"

"I have. I'd like to see how my notes compare with yours."

"Sure." Roy sat down at the table, comparing his notes with hers while they waited for Linus and Charlie Brown. while they waited, they spotted the red-tied man in conversation with one of the organisers.

"There he is again." Roy looked up.

"Oh you mean him?" Morag pointed at him. "The one with Mandy Wilcox?"

"Yeah. I mentioned it to dad but he couldn't get enough info without seeing something more definitive."

"Not to worry." Morag replied, pulling out a cheap camera she bought from a supermarket. "Smile, Roy!"

Roy gave a big cheesy grin, and held up the peace sign, while Morag took a couple of snaps with the two figures clearly in the background.

"There." Morag handed Roy the camera before he quickly put it in his pocket. "Show that to your dad and we'll see where that gets us."

"Okay." Roy replied, as he looked around to check that no one saw him, and to his credit, nobody did, other than Charlie Brown and Linus, who had finally arrived.

"Hello there." Linus made his presence known.

"I hope you didn't start the meeting without us." Charlie Brown chuckled.

"Oh, no. we were just looking through each other's notes." Morag clarified.

"Oh okay." Charlie Brown replied as he and Linus sat down. "What did you find out?"

"Well, I've spent my summer doing research in the library, and from what I can gather, Person 1 is an investment banker for Goldman Sachs, based on the lanyard.

"And according to the research my dad did, his name is Henry Farrington. Our guess is that he probably helps to bankroll the entire thing, and isn't involved beyond that."

"Agreed. He's putting money into the project, and the bank are probably expecting a return on investment, and looking at them harder isn't going to help us at this stage.

"What about Person 2?" Linus asked.

"The Ferrari owner?" Roy looked down at his notes. "According to dad, he is Ludovico Salvetti, proud owner of a Ferrari 458, and owner of Italy's biggest catering company.

"He probably wants to use the sport to launch his brand in America. Another dead end." Morag summarised. "Person 3 is more promising. That NASA lapel pin of his is an employee badge."

"So he works for NASA." Linus replied.

"I see. Peppermint Patty mentioned something like that when she told me about her visit to Cape Canaveral." Charlie Brown added.

"Do we have a name?" Linus asked.

"No. we don't. Dad didn't have enough time." Roy replied.

"I see." Linus responded. "What would NASA want with the organisers?"

"I'm not sure. We'll have to look into that." Morag replied. "As for Person 4 he is an ex-basketball player representing Nike. He's not suspicious in any way."

"Is there anyone else we should know about?"

"There was a 5th person that we just saw, but we're still looking into who he might be. He looks kind of like a politician to me, but I'll try to confirm that with Frank.

"Ok." Charlie Brown responded. "Want us to do anything?"

"Just keep an eye open, like usual." Morag answered.

"Understood, we'll do that. See you then." Linus said, before getting up and leaving, along with Charlie Brown. Roy and Morag did the same shortly afterwards, going back to their motorhomes. Roy rejoined his father and handed him back the notebook, along with Morag's camera.

"Here, it has pictures of the intimidating red-tied man I wrote about."

"Good. I might be able to get something out of that." Frank replied, putting the camera in his pocket. "I'll let you know by next week."

"Thanks dad." Roy smiled.

Saturday 1st September

Practice was a wake-up call for all the drivers, who took a while to get up to speed, but thankfully there were no accidents on the high speed banks of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Qualifying was underway before long.

Schroeder was the first to go out, setting a very competitive time of 0:26.449, though Shermy managed to edge past him with a time of 0:26.448. Eudora was not far behind, setting a time of 0:26.462, but Morag wasn't able to keep up, only setting a 0:26.594.

Rerun set and okay time of 0:26.538, while José Peterson set a 0:26.629, but they were both beaten by Linus, who set a time of 0:26.495, while Peppermint Patty slotted in behind him with a 0:26.503.

Cormac set a time of 0:26.585, while Marcie struggled to keep the car from understeering, only setting a 0:27.095. Patty Swanson kept her form going with a 0:26.499, whilst Frieda took the lead with a 0:26.447.

Charlie Brown set an out lap of 0:32.594 before making a small error, which caused the back of his car to step out and send him careening into the wall at 170mph, right rear tyre first, with the right front following suit. The car littered the track with debris as it scraped along the wall, before it peeled off and came to a stop in the infield.

The Marshals red flagged the session, as Charlie Brown beckoned the marshals with hand signals to get him out of the car. The medical car came soon afterwards, after it became clear that Charlie Brown couldn't extricate himself from the car under his own power.

As the marshals got there, they noticed that Charlie Brown's right leg was trapped between the throttle pedal and the side of the monocoque. The marshals and doctors spent a good ten minutes freeing him and extricating him from the car, into an ambulance while he winced in pain. Morag, Franklin, Linus and many others looked on with concern, but an announcement came that the session would restart, so the remaining drivers got ready to set their times.

Joe Agate was next to set a lap time, posting a rather slow time of 0:26.897, before Five beat that with a time of 0:26.556. Thibault skidded in a similar fashion to Charlie Brown, but was able to save it, eventually setting a time of 0:28.171 on flat-spotted tyres.

Violette set a much better time of 0:26.476, with Harold Angel just behind her with a 0:26.478. Sally could not replicate her Kentucky form, setting a 0:26.756, and Violet set a decent time of 0:26.492. Lucy set a 0:26.676, while Pig Pen set a time of 0:27.115, complaining about a lack of front grip. Franklin then set the fastest time of 0:26.440, before Pierre closed the session with a 0:26.519.

At the end of Qualifying, the grid order looked like this…

1st Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 0:26.440 2nd Frieda Rich [Bonn] 0:26.447

3rd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 0:26.448 4th Schroeder E. Schroder [Bonn] 0:26.449

5th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 0:26.462 6th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 0:26.476

7th Harold Angel [Isdera] 0:26.478 8th Violet Gray [Zontec] 0:26.492

9th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 0:26.495 10th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 0:26.499

11th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 0:26.503 12th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 0:26.519

13th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 0:26.538 14th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 0:26.556

15th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 0:26.585 16th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 0:26.594

17th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 0:26.629 18th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 0:26.676

19th Sally Brown [Polestar] 0:26.756 20th Joe Agate [Sky] 0:26.897

21st Marcia Johnson [Cherokee] 0:27.095 22nd Pig Pen [Armstrong] 0:27.115

23rd Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 0:28.171 24th Charlie Brown [Renault] 0:32.594

The top three drivers were ushered into the pressroom while the others waited for news on Charlie Brown.

I: Franklin, your first pole of the season, it's been a long time coming, hasn't it?

Franklin: I guess you could say that. I'm more concerned about how Charlie Brown is doing at the moment, but I'm looking forward to fighting for the win tomorrow.

I: Frieda, your best qualifying run in a long time, you look like a genuine contender to win this race. Do you agree?

Frieda: Of course. I've worked hard to try and stay competitive and it hasn't always worked out, but the team have really set the car up right today.

I: Shermy, another great qualifying from you, here's hoping you don't fall away in the race like usual.

Shermy: Our car tends to struggle with tire life for some reason, were quite competitive over a lap but over a full race it's a lot different.

I: Thank you.

Franklin quickly headed down from the pressroom and joined the handful of drivers and press waiting outside the medical center for updates on Charlie Brown's condition. A spokesman for the doctors came out and stood in front of them.

"I understand you have questions, but Charlie Brown is currently being treated. We will allow visitation at 6pm, at his discretion, and we will give the press an update shortly afterward. Thank you for your patience."

Not to waste any time, one of the reporters quickly interviewed Marcie, Charlie Brown's currently closest rival.

I: Marcie, prospects on the race tomorrow?

Marcie: Well, I doubt I'll get anything significant from it, not that it would be fair to with Charles looking like he's out of action.

I: I see. Thank you for your time.

Linus, Morag, Franklin, Pig Pen, and Peppermint Patty waited patiently in their pit garages, doing some last minute setup checks with their teams before 6pm eventually arrived.

The 5 of them walked under the evening sun to the medical center, where a member of staff was waiting for them.

"Ah you must be Linus and friends. I'll just let Charlie Brown know." the nurse said as he walked off into the building, returning after a couple of minutes.

"He says you can come in." the nurse smiled.

Linus and the others walked in single file to Charlie Brown's room, where he was waiting for them. a bandage was wrapped around his right leg, with a small bloodstained line running along it.

"Hey guys." Charlie Brown said as they entered. "How are you doing?"

"We're fine." Linus replied. "More importantly, how are you doing?"

"I'm just about holding up, thanks." Charlie Brown replied. "It's not too serious."

"I dunno, looks pretty ugly to me." Peppermint Patty replied.

"My leg got caught on by the throttle pedal, it hurt quite a bit, but it didn't cut anything major, so that's good. Doctor says I can't do anything that might worsen it for another 48 hours, so I'll miss the race." Charlie Brown explained.

"Not to worry. It's not likely we'll catch you tomorrow anyway." Pig Pen quipped.

"Hey, I can win tomorrow." Franklin protested.

"But you're like, 100+ points behind."

"Says the man starting 22nd." Franklin responded.

"I don't really care where you start or finish, so long as you don't end up like me." Charlie Brown replied.

"Roger that." Franklin perked up.

"Agreed." Morag added.

"I'll be watching." Charlie Brown promised. "Good luck tomorrow!"

"Get well soon!" Linus and Morag replied, as the small entourage left the building and to their pit garages. The day slowly crawled into night, and the drivers all went to their hotel and slept, anticipating the race tomorrow.

Sunday 2nd September – Race Day in North Carolina

Franklin sat on the grid with a steely resolve. This was his best chance to prove how good he was though with Frieda and Schroeder so close to him, he knew it wasn't going to be an easy task. Franklin was deeply focused, so much so that when the announcer began to speak, it startled him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"

Franklin did so, as did everyone else. The mechanics peeled off the grid and the cars began to pull away under the pace car.

"As the pace car leads them round, the drivers will have to face 97 gruelling laps of the speedway, will Franklin be able to get his first win? Find out, as the pace car pulls into the pits, and the North Carolina Spindycar Supertour Open is go!

Franklin got a good start, as did Frieda, with Shermy slipping behind Schroeder as they went into turn 1. Joe Agate struggle from the get go, falling behind Marcie, Pig-Pen and Thibault in the first 3 laps, While Morag scythed her way past Cormac. Pierre tried to hold on to twelfth place, but was passed by both Rerun and Five on lap 7.

Further ahead, Peppermint Patty eventually muscled her way past Patty Swanson on lap 9, and Violette lost a position to Harold Angel on lap 12. Eudora was doing a good job, passing Shermy for 4th on lap 16, while on the other side of the garage, Sally's day was going from bad to worse. After losing a position to Marcie, her gearbox failed, forcing her to pull over into the pit-lane and retire the car on lap 19.

Morag managed to overtake Pierre on lap 21, whilst Marcie overtook Lucy a couple of laps later. Rerun and Five had also managed to get past Patty Swanson by lap 28.

On lap 31, Joe Agate ran into the back of Pig-Pen on the main straight, pitching him left and into Thibault, who was alongside him. Thibault's car hit the back wheel of Pig Pen's car and pitched him into a spin across the infield, coming to a rest after hitting the pit wall at around 80 mph. Thibault's front left wheel was irreparably damaged, and wouldn't turn anymore, so Thibault braked as much as he could to soften his impact with the outside wall. As for Joe Agate, his wing had fallen off and damaged the floor underneath, with the team asking him to retire the car as he pitted for a new wing.

The pace car went out while the marshals made sure Pig-Pen and Thibault were okay, and cleared up the wrecks, and on lap 35, the race was ready to go underway again, or so they thought. The pace car had only just pulled into the pits when, Violet, overly eager to get going, accelerated early, ramming into the back of Violette, her car climbing onto Violette's rear wing, and sending her off the road and onto the grass, sending them both out of the race and the pace car back out onto the track.

On lap 38, the pace car pulled in again, and the cars went back to racing speed. Frieda got a better restart than Franklin, but he held his nerve and stayed ahead of Frieda for the time being. Marcie managed to leapfrog José into turn 1, moving up into 15th place, while Cormac closed up on Pierre, eventually passing him on lap 42. Harold Angel was again proving his credentials, as he snuck past Shermy on lap 46. Five was doing his best, and attempting to close in on Rerun, catching up to the back of him on lap 50, and eventually passing him at turn 2 a lap later.

On lap 54, Frieda made a pass for the lead into turn 1, a move that caught Franklin by surprise, and he groaned in frustration as he saw the chance of a win slip through his fingers. The field settled down a bit after that, Marcie passing Pierre being the only highlight until lap 65, when Linus made a move on Shermy to take 6th.

Morag passed Patty Swanson on lap 73, before Pierre retired with an electrical failure on lap 78, pulling off into the pits. Marcie passed Cormac on lap 82, before Peppermint Patty overtook Shermy on lap 87. Eudora and Harold Angel spent the last 10 laps trading 4th and 5th places, but ultimately their finishing positions were unchanged, as the cars crossed the line.

"And Frieda wins in North Carolina! Franklin comes home 2nd, with Schroeder in 3rd! Eudora is 4th, with Harold Angel 5th, Linus 6th, Peppermint Patty in 7th, Shermy in 8th, Five in 9th, and Rerun rounding out the top ten! Morag was 11th, with Patty Swanson 12th, Marcie 13th, Cormac 14th, José Peterson 15th, and Lucy in 16th. Pierre, Violette, Violet, Joe Agate, Thibault, Pig Pen, and Sally failed to finish, while Charlie Brown did not start the race."

After the race, the championship standings are as follows…

1st Charlie Brown [Renault] 155pts 2nd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 147pts

3rd Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 142pts 4th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 134pts

5th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 133pts 6th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 125pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 117pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 100pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 91pts 10th Patty Swanson [ACE] 75pts

11th Harold Angel [Isdera] 63pts 12th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 62pts

13th Sally Brown [Polestar] 61pts 14th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 54pts

15th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts 16th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 52pts

17th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts 18th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 23pts

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 13pts

23rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 7pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 4pts

Frieda parked her car on Victory Road and held her arms up high in celebration, running over to her team, and getting a high five from Schroeder, which was rare of him to do, before the three of them headed up to the podium. In the waiting room, the three of them congratulated each other on a good race, and commiserated Franklin's valiant effort, before going out onto the podium.

The three of them stood still and silent as the American anthem played, and the three American flags were raised. The German anthem played after the American one finished. Afterwards, the competitors were presented with their trophies, as they drank their milk and waved to the crowd and celebrated for a while, before heading off into the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Frieda, a brilliant win, this really puts you right back in the running in the championship, doesn't it?

Frieda: We're still a bit behind, but it's definitely within reach.

I: Franklin, it's been a while since we saw such a good result from you. Are you proud of your achievements today?

Franklin: Of course I am. Although I would have much preferred to win when I had the chance, this is still my best finish, and I am going to enjoy it.

I: And Schroeder, a critical points finish has kept you ahead of your teammate in the standings. How important is this to your standing in the team.

Schroeder: Well it certainly is a good thing, but I'm sure I've told you before that both of us have an equal position in the team. Our team has the most wins out of any on the grid.

I: Thank you.

Down in the paddock, Championship Leader Charlie Brown was interviewed on the pitwall, where he had been watching the race.

I: Charlie Brown, our sympathies for your accident yesterday, but are you concerned about the damage this could do to your title hopes?

Charlie Brown: Not at all. I'm still ahead by a decent margin, and even if I were to lose, there are no better people to lose to than Linus and Morag.

I: Thank you.

The day drew on into night, as the Bonn team mechanics celebrated with a round of beers, and their drivers went back to their hotel with everyone else, wearing off the adrenaline and looking forward to the next race at Road Atlanta.


	20. Race 18: Georgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morag and Roy have a close call, and Charlie Brown returns after missing the race in North Carolina.

The teams wasted no time trying to get ready for the next race in Georgia, and the drivers weren't waiting either. The race was only a week away, and that meant the drivers would be heading there pretty much immediately. The Party Bus was back, and waiting patiently for the top ten finishers, before leaving at 11am.

As for the others, Thibault and Joe travelled in the Team Sky Volkswagen Touareg, whilst Marcie, Morag, Charlie Brown, José and Violette travelled in the Team Cherokee Jeep. Lucy, Cormac, Violet and Patty Swanson went in the Team Honda's Civic, and Sally, Pig Pen and Pierre travelled in Polestar's Volvo XC90, leaving about an hour later.

Aboard the Jeep, Charlie Brown and Morag chatted for a long time about a variety of things, including, the current situation with Roy and his dad.

"You get any news since last week?" Charlie Brown asked.

"I'll hear from Roy on Friday when he does his news rounds on Friday. Then we'll have a meeting next Monday.

"Okay." Replied Charlie Brown.

"How's your leg, by the way?" Morag asked.

"Oh it's getting better. I'll be fit in time for the race, don't you worry." Charlie Brown answered.

The Party bus arrived at the track at around 3pm, with the others arriving at around 4pm. After a few hours of waking the track and studying the corners, the drivers headed off to their hotel and slept, and overnight, the race organisers announced that both Joe Agate and Violet would have 5 place grid penalties for causing their respective accidents. On Tuesday, the teams, cars, and press, along with Roy and Frank, arrived at the circuit.

Thursday 6th September – Pre Race Press Conference

As was tradition, 5 drivers were picked at random to be interviewed before the race weekend began. These 5 were: Eudora, Thibault, Harold Angel, Violet, and Linus.

I: Eudora, you had a great race last time out, do you think you can achieve the same again?

Eudora: Well, this isn't an oval, so it's a different challenge, but I'm sure we can do anything we put our mind to here.

I: Thibault, you've seen a resurgence in form since you were reinstated into the team. Are you going to continue your run of form here?

Thibault: That's the intention.

I: Anything else?

Thibault: No.

I: Okay. (shuffles papers) Harold Angel, you also had a good race last time out. Are the team happy with your performances?

Harold Angel: They are. They see me as a team player, someone who can score valuable points when Morag isn't able to. I'm clearly the No. 2 in the team, but Morag has a championship to fight for.

I: Violet, you have a 5 place grid penalty going to this race, this already seems like a race to forget for you, doesn't it?

Violet: I'm sure I can still muster something out of this weekend. Can't have a defeatist attitude like that in our team. (she crosses her arms in frustration)

I: And Linus, in his post-race interview, Charlie Brown named you and Morag as people who would be deserving of the title were he not to win the championship? How does that make you feel?

Linus: I saw that interview, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's nice to know winning hasn't gotten to his head. We all race each other fairly, and I think that contributes to it. But hopefully I will be beating him on track on Sunday.

I: Thank you.

Friday 7th September

Roy was walking around the paddock in search of another story. Five had managed to secure his seat for another two races so Roy thought it unwise to keep pressuring him. He had heard from Linus however, that Mrs Van Pelt was trying to get in touch with his father, so maybe there was a way he could facilitate that. He was on his way to the Vittoria garage when he bumped into Morag.

"Oh, Hi Morag." Roy spoke in surprise.

"Hello there. You show your dad that photo you took?"

"Oh, yes. He told me on Tuesday that he's a Republican, from I think, the Florida House of Representatives?"

"So, part of the government?" Morag asked.

"Part of the Florida government." Roy clarified. "Dad doesn't trust him. He says it's odd that a State Rep. would conduct any business outside his home state."

Morag scanned the area around them.

"Something wrong?" Roy asked.

"I just want to check. If Wilcox and co find out you're our mole, we're in big trouble." Morag murmured. Roy started to look around too. "Look! There he is again!" he whispered.

"You're right, and it looks like he's with the NASA employee." Morag whispered back.

"Person 3?"

"Yes. We should probably go. If they see us, then…"

"Yeah, I get it. Let's just stand by these bushes over there." Roy pointed. The pair of them walked to a bush on the side of the 'road' and waited for a bit. Morag scanned the area again and noticed that they were walking towards them.

"Dammit! They're coming this way!" Morag blurted in hushed whispers. A brief pause followed.

"What were you even here for, anyway?" Morag suddenly and audibly asked.

"Oh, I was going to talk to Linus' mom about something." Roy replied, cottoning on to what Morag was doing. Nevertheless they drew the attention of the two suspicious adults as they walked past.

"What are you two hiding from?" the NASA employee asked.

"Uh, Nothing?" Morag replied calmly.

"We're just having a friendly chat." Roy replied.

"If you say so." The Republican replied, straightening his tie out, before the two carried on walking. Morag waited until they were out of earshot before saying anything.

"Hooooooo boy."

"That was a close one." Roy added.

"I know. Why don't you go talk to Linus' mom, and I'll tell your dad about what just happened." Morag suggested.

Roy and Morag parted ways as he continued on to the Vittoria garage, where he was expecting Linus' mom to be. However, only Linus was there.

"Excuse me Linus, have you seen your mom?"

"She left a few minutes ago when your dad dropped by."

"Oh, right." Roy replied.

"Don't worry about it." Linus replied. "I know you're trying to get stories, but you deserve a bit of a rest."

"In that case, I'll join my dad. Don't forget there's a meeting on Monday!" Roy responded.

"I won't!" Linus replied, as Roy dashed off to find his dad.

Roy managed to catch up to his Dad, just around the same time as Morag had finished speaking to him.

"Ah, Roy. I hear you two saw the Republican and the NASA dude talking to each other?" Frank asked.

"Yeah. And they saw us too." Roy confirmed.

"I am aware. Morag told me." Frank replied.

"Did you speak with Linus' mom?" Roy asked.

"Yes, it was a very interesting conversation, actually." Frank elucidated. "I have enough to write up an article for next Tuesday, so our work for today is done. You want me to buy you a hotdog?"

"Yes please!" Roy smiled. They headed off to a nearby hotdog stand, while Morag returned to her garage.

Saturday 8th September

On an overcast, but still dry morning, Practice was the drivers' first taste of a road circuit, and of a right turn, since July. Cormac managed to spin coming out of Turn 7, but avoided the wall. The rest of practice transpired without further drama, and before long, it was time for qualifying to begin.

José Peterson was the first to set a time, with a 1:18.176, which was promptly beaten by Charlie Brown, who set a 1:15.919. Frieda was faster, setting a 1:14.563, before Franklin set an impressively fast time of 1:13.938, which Morag squeaked past with a 1:13.921. Pig Pen was a bit slower than his teammate, but still quick, setting a time of 1:14.373.

Lucy Van Pelt was much quicker than anyone expected, setting a time of 1:13.872. Five was not able to keep up, setting a 1:15.864, with Rerun only marginally improving on that with a 1:15.827. Peppermint Patty then set a 1:15.141, while Violet set a slow time of 1:16.140, before Schroeder set a competitive time of 1:13.919. Marcie then set the fastest time of 1:13.754, before Eudora continued her run of form with a 1:13.909.

Joe Agate tried to make the best of his situation, setting a 1:15.176, before Sally set a time of 1:15.746, just ahead of Rerun. Harold Angel qualified ahead of her with a 1:15.241, while Thibault sandwiched himself between them with a 1:15.684. Linus set a somewhat good time of 1:14.823, but he was beaten by Shermy, who set a 1:14.532. Patty Swanson had a terrible time, setting a 1:18.779. Cormac and Pierre were both surprisingly competitive, setting times of 1:14.384 and 1:14.513 respectively, and Violette set the final time of 1:16.357.

After qualifying, the grid order was as follows…

1st Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:13.754 2nd Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:13.872

3rd Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:13.909 4th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:13.919

5th Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 1:13.921 6th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 1:13.938

7th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 1:14.373 8th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:14.384

9th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 1:14.513 10th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:14.532

11th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:14.563 12th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:14.823

13th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:15.141 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 1:15.241

15th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 1:15.684 16th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:15.746

17th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:15.827 18th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 1:15.864

19th Joe Agate [Sky] 1:15.176 (PENALTY) 20th Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:15.919

21st Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:16.357 22nd José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:18.176

23rd Patricia Swanson [ACE] 1:18.779 24th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:16.140 (PENALTY)

After the session was over, the top three qualifiers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Marcie, another fine performance from you. Do you think you can win your third race of the season tomorrow?

Marcie: I'm sure I can. It will be a challenge, but I look forward to being able to close in on Charlie Brown in the Championship.

I: Lucy, this is your best qualifying of the season, do you see a podium being possible tomorrow?

Lucy: Oh, I'm going to win, whether Marcie likes it or not. I promise I won't give her an easy race.

I: Eudora, following on from a 4th place last weekend, you've now qualified third here. How confident are you going to the race tomorrow?

I: I can't wait. I'm looking forward to getting a podium, or at least getting another handful of points.

I: Thank you.

Championship leader Charlie Brown was also interviewed, down in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, tough day today?

Charlie Brown: Yeah, We didn't set the car up right for the track, as you can see. That's why both of us are so far back. I can try and get a point possibly tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. Something tells me I'll have to claw back my championship lead next race.

I: Thank you.

The drivers returned to their hotels as the day fell into night, retiring to their beds and sleeping, in anticipation of the race tomorrow.

Sunday 9th September – Race Day in Georgia.

Marcie sat calmly in her car, sat on pole position. This wasn't her first time on pole, and she had no intention of losing any positions. Focusing on her race, she sat and waited until the voice of the announcer was heard on the speakers.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"

Marcie did so, as did everyone else. The cars pulled away from the grid, led by the pace car.

"As the pace car leads the field along the back straight, the drivers will have to endure 37 laps of the tough and twisty turns of Road Atlanta, and now that the pace car has pulled into the pits, the Georgia Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Marcie got a good start, as did Lucy right behind her, with Frieda managing to leapfrog past Shermy going into the first corner. The other drivers held position until the end of the esses, where Lucy made a bold move on the inside, which forced Marcie wide and onto the grass, dropping to 6th as she rejoined the track. Lucy led the field as they started the second lap, during which Charlie Brown overtook Joe Agate under braking for the tight turn 6. Linus then overtook Shermy at the chicane on the same lap.

Pierre spent the next couple of laps defending his position from Frieda, allowing Linus to catch up to the back of her, before overtaking her on the exit of the turn 10 chicane on lap 6, Pierre promptly letting him through on the main straight. Peppermint Patty then passed Shermy on lap 7 before Marcie made her way back past Franklin on lap 8.

At the front, Lucy and Eudora were squabbling over first, which enabled Schroeder to close in on them, and he passed Eudora into turn 6 on lap 10, before taking the lead at the chicane on lap 11. Lucy then went straight on at the chicane on lap 12 while being hounded by Eudora, forcing her to give up the place to avoid a penalty.

Linus made a passing move on Cormac on lap 13 into turn 1, while Shermy suffered an engine failure on the same lap, parking the car at the nearest marshal's post he could get to. This was followed by a pass by Morag on Lucy into turn 6 on lap 15. Pierre had been holding back long enough when Frieda decided to pass him at the same corner a lap later, and he tried to shut the door, but he misjudged it, damaging his front wing and forcing him to pit for a new one.

Morag made a move past Eudora on lap 19 to take 2nd place, and on lap 20, Rerun tried to do the same to Eudora's teammate Sally, but the pair collided, locking wheels into the chicane and getting themselves beached in the gravel trap and out of the race. The safety car was brought out for 2 laps while the cars were retrieved.

Charlie Brown used the restart to his full advantage, overtaking Five into turn 1, while in front, Schroeder was defending against a hard charging Morag. Linus got past Pig Pen on lap 24 into turn 6, before repeating that move with Franklin 4 laps later. Schroeder tried his best to keep Morag behind, but on lap 30, Morag snuck past him on the chicane, and sped off out of his reach. Frieda managed to get past Cormac on lap 32, while Charlie Brown and Thibault were locked in a fair, clean fight for thirteenth, Charlie Brown eventually taking the position on the final lap, while the others crossed the line ahead of him.

"And Morag Wins in Georgia! Schroeder is 2nd, and Eudora is 3rd! Lucy was 4th, with Marcie 5th, Linus 6th, Franklin 7th, Pig Pen 8th, Frieda 9th and Cormac finishing in the top ten! Peppermint Patty was 11th, with Harold Angel 12th, Charlie Brown 13th, Thibault 14th, Five 15th, Joe Agate 16th, Violette 17th, José Peterson 18th, Patty Swanson 19th, Violet 20th and Pierre 21st. Sally, Rerun and Shermy all failed to finish.

After the race, the championship standings are as follows…

1st Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 159pts 2nd Charlie Brown [Renault] 155pts

3rd Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 155pts 4th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 152pts

5th Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 143pts 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 133pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 119pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 104pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 91pts 10th Patty Swanson [ACE] 75pts

11th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 68pts 12th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 67pts

13th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 66pts 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 63pts

15th Sally Brown [Polestar] 61pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts

17th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts 18th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 23pts

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 13pts

23rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 8pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 4pts

Morag parked her car on victory road and celebrated with her mechanics, raising her arms into the air, before joining the other two podium finishers and heading up towards the podium. In the waiting room, the three of them congratulated each other on a great race, and commiserated Schroeder, who was ultimately disappointed that he couldn't keep Morag behind.

The three of them then headed out onto the podium, where they stood silently as the British national anthem played, and the British and American flags were raised. The German anthem played after the British one finished. The drivers then received their trophies, drank their milk, and waved to the crowd, before heading to the pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Morag, great win today, this puts you right in the driver's seat of the championship battle, doesn't it?

Morag: Well I hear I'm 4 points ahead in the championship, so that would put me in a good position to win. Obviously it's very close, so I'll have to keep on my toes.

I: Schroeder, another brilliant result for you. You're really catching up to the front in the championship, how are you feeling?

Schroeder: I'm doing great thanks, I'm very happy for the team, we now have more points than any other team, and with a win in Florida, I think I would take the lead in the driver's Championship too.

I: Eudora, you're experiencing a solid resurgence in form, now that you have a second podium, do you think you keep this streak going?

Eudora: I hope so. I like winning.

I: Thank you.

Morag's closest challenger, Charlie Brown, was also interviewed in the paddock.

I: Charlie Brown, you spoke of today being a hard day to get points, and you appear to have proven yourself correct. What can you do to regain your championship position?

Charlie Brown: Well, I guess I'll have to look ahead to the next race and try and get a good result there.

I: Thank you.

As the dragged on into the night, some teams celebrated, others worked, but the drivers, after a long day, went back to their hotel and slept, ready for the next day.


	21. Race 19: Florida

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morag, Roy, Charlie Brown and Linus meet, and begin to suspect NASA may be involved. meanwhile, a protest by some angry parents and rain on race day brings chaos to the 19th round of the season.

Monday 10th September

At a picnic table somewhere in Braselton, Georgia, near the hotel where they were all staying at, Morag was waiting patiently for Five, Linus and Charlie Brown. It was right next to the path, so they wouldn't be able to miss it, and within about 5 minutes, the three of them arrived, walking side by side.

"Hi Morag!" Five called out from a distance.

"Hi guys." Morag replied with a wave.

"Did we keep you waiting?" Linus asked.

"No, I only got here a few minutes ago. This park is quite big." Morag answered

"Five knew where we were going, so thankfully we didn't get lost." Linus added.

"Thank you Five." Morag replied. "Please." She gestured to the seats on the table, and the other three promptly sat down.

"So, any news since last time?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Well, Roy and I found out that the 5th man in the red tie is a Florida Republican, and he was chatting with the NASA man." Morag explained.

"They seem suspicious of us." Roy added.

"Good Grief." Charlie Brown exclaimed.

"Do either of these people have a name?"

"Well, I didn't say earlier but the Politician's name is Adrian Goldspur."

"Well you didn't want him to hear his name did you?"" Morag reasoned.

"Yeah." Roy replied. "We don't know the other guy's name, but we know they're definitely up to something."

"Indeed. With just the facts, we know that Mandy Wilcox has had meetings with Person 3 and this Goldspur character has spoken with him too, so we can say that NASA have a special interest in this event." She surmised.

"But they don't sponsor it." Linus added.

"That's the strange part." Morag replied. "I have a hunch, but it seems too far-fetched without any direct evidence. Roy, do you have your camera with you?"

"No, but I can get It back from dad if you want."

"Good, I have a feeling we may need it." Morag replied.

"Okay." Five responded.

"Want us to do anything?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, and If I ring the phone at your motorhome, please answer it."

"Why would we need to do that?" Linus asked.

"In case things go pear shaped." Morag replied grimly.

"I see." Linus replied.

"See you in Florida." Roy lightened the mood, prompting everyone to part ways and return to whatever they had planned for the rest of the day.

On Tuesday, Frank published his news story about the parents, and how they were planning to stage a protest at the next round to call for a halt to racing on ovals. The report drew in some support from other concerned fans, as well as some ire from business leaders, the organisers, and some of the more old-fashioned crowd.

It wasn't until 10am Monday 17th that the Party bus departed for Sebring, with the top ten finishers on board. As for the others, Joe Agate and Thibault took Team Sky's Volkswagen Touareg, while Peppermint Patty Charlie Brown, Violette and Pierre took the team Honda Civic. Five, Violet, Patty Swanson and Rerun took the team Cherokee Jeep, and Sally, Harold Angel, Shermy and José took the Polestar team's Volvo XC90.

The party bus arrived in Sebring at around 8pm, with the others not far behind, after which they promptly went to their hotels and went to bed, before the teams, cars and the press arrived at Sebring the following day.

Thursday 20th September- Pre Race Press conference

As always, 5 drivers were picked, seemingly at random, to be interviewed in the pressroom in front of waiting journalists and other interviewers. These drivers were: Shermy, Eudora, Charlie Brown, Pig Pen, and Lucy.

I: Shermy, you've had a difficult run of results coming into this weekend, how do you think you can rejuvenate your season?

Shermy: Well, I know that I'm able to qualify well, but I know I need to keep people behind over a race distance, so if I work on that, we can expect better results.

I: Eudora, you on the other hand have had a strong resurgence in form. Is there anything in particular that you've changed in order to achieve this?

Eudora: Well, I'm faster, for one thing. Not really sure what else, but I'll get back to you.

I: Charlie Brown, you sit 4 points behind Morag after your race in Georgia, are you looking to bounce back from a bad result there?

Charlie Brown: Absolutely, I want to be leading the championship, whether that means scoring a handful or points more than Morag or winning the race. Needless to say, I'll be trying my best as always.

I: Pig Pen, you showed some promise early on in the season, but over the past few races, you seem to have been left behind in the championship battle. How badly do you need to win this race?

Pig Pen: Well I know I'm very capable of doing it, and I have been itching to get a good result ever since my first win, but some podiums would be nice too.

I: Lucy, you have shown some serious speed over the season so far, but to say your results are inconsistent would be an understatement. How do you plan on staying in the points race after race?

Lucy: A consistent run of points isn't everything. A couple of podiums can send me right back to the front, I feel, especially if I win.

I: Thank you.

Outside, in the paddock, a number of the driver's parents were protesting, calling for the remaining oval rounds of the championship to be cancelled. A reporter was there to interview them.

I: And what's your name?

?: Oh, I'm Pig Pen's mother, my name is Cara.

I: Cara, what brings you here today?

Cara: well we wanted to voice our objection to the use of the oval tracks; we think they're too unsafe for our kids to be driving on.

I: Really, is that so?

Cara: Of course, a lot of adults get injured really badly on them too. Why, it wasn't so long ago that Robert Wickens broke his spine on the fence. I wouldn't want that to happen to any of the kids, especially not Pig Pen.

I: But he crashed at the Glen.

Cara: I know, and I don't want it to happen again.

I: I see. Thank you for your time.

The protest continued for the rest of the day. It remained calm and peaceful and it did not get in the way of either the drivers or the teams. Nevertheless, it unsettled the organisers and forced them to call a private meeting on the Friday, which Goldspur, Wilcox, and the NASA man all attended, according to Roy, who took a picture of them from afar, and then showed it to his father.

Saturday 22nd September

Practice went by quickly, as the drivers learned the track and tested the limits of their cars, making ample use of whatever run off was available. Nobody hit the wall, thankfully, and before long, qualifying was underway.

Pierre was the first to go out on track, setting a tentative time of 2:00.158, with Thibault setting a slightly slower time of 2:00.308. Morag struggled to keep up with either of them, disappointingly, setting a 2:01.875.

Eudora was the first to beat Pierre's time, setting a 1:59.515, but this was swiftly beaten by Linus, who set a time of 1:57.635. Schroeder, however, was absolutely imperious, setting a time of 1:53.698, almost four seconds faster than Linus.

Lucy managed to qualify ahead of her brother, setting a time of 1:57.439, before Pig Pen went second with a 1:54.224. Rerun then qualified ahead of his siblings with a time of 1:57.294, and Frieda set a decent time of 1:56.677. Violette was slower, setting a 1:59.081, but not as slow as Sally, who set a 1:59.275. Cormac and Franklin continued the trend, setting a 1:59.579 and a 2:00.810 respectively.

Joe Agate qualified marginally ahead of his teammate, setting a 1:59.892, and Harold Angel also struggled, setting a time of 2:00.332. Shermy was quick once again, setting a time of 1:56.897, before Charlie Brown put himself third with a time of 1:54.779. Five surprised everyone by setting a time of 1:56.562, which at the time put him 4th. Patty Swanson struggled, crashing into the wall on the exit of the final corner on lap 2. She was unhurt, but her car could not continue, and her time of 2:02.276 put her in last place, saving Morag a little bit of embarrassment.

Marcie was not as quick as her teammate, surprisingly, setting a 1:57.898, right behind Linus. José set a time of 1:58.437, before Peppermint Patty went fourth with a time of 1:55.263, with Violet qualifying just behind her, rounding out the session with a 1:56.004.

At the end of qualifying, the grid order looked like this…

1st Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 1:53.698 2nd Pig Pen [Armstrong] 1:54.224

3rd Charlie Brown [Renault] 1:54.779 4th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 1:55.263

5th Violet Gray [Zontec] 1:56.004 6th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 1:56.562

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 1:56.677 8th Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 1:56.897

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 1:57.294 10th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 1:57.439

11th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 1:57.635 12th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 1:57.898

13th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 1:58.437 14th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 1:59.081

15th Sally Brown [Polestar] 1:59.275 16th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 1:59.515

17th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 1:59.579 18th Joe Agate [Sky] 1:59.898

19th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 2:00.158 20th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 2:00.308

21st Harold Angel [Isdera] 2:00.332 22nd Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 2:00.810

23rd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 2:01.875 24th Patricia Swanson [ACE] 2:02.276

After qualifying, the top three qualifiers were interviewed in the pressroom.

I: Schroeder, you've been brilliantly fast all season, but this is your first pole position. How did you manage it?

Schroeder: I kept calm and focused. Listening to Beethoven helps me to do that. I noticed a lot of drivers were struggling to keep their cars on the circuit, so i focused myself, and got a fast lap in.

I: Pig Pen, did you use a similar strategy to get as close as you did?

Pig Pen: I'm not certain, but like him, I kept the car on the track as much as possible, and didn't overuse the brakes. Like in Wisconsin, I think this track likes drivers that don't brake too hard.

I: Charlie Brown, after your bad luck in the past couple of races, this is a nice comeback, do you think you'll be taking the championship lead back tomorrow?

Charlie Brown: I'd hope so, but you can't be sure until you cross the line.

I: Thank you.

Down the paddock, Championship Leader Morag was interviewed as well.

I: Morag you start 23rd tomorrow, care to tell me what went wrong?

Morag: I'd say we had the wrong set up for the day, but really, our team is banking on it being a wet race tomorrow. Apparently there's a 40% chance of rain, so we had a wet setup for qualifying, and that's what compromised our running today. Harold Angel has it too, so here's hoping it rains tomorrow.

I: Indeed. Thank you.

The drivers went back to their hotel for the night and went to bed, hoping and praying it wouldn't rain on race day.

Sunday 23rd September

Many of the drivers were unimpressed at what they woke up to. It had rained steadily during the night and by now the track was seriously wet. It wasn't waterlogged, but the drivers were dreading the prospect as they made their way to the grid. Schroeder was sitting patiently in his car, waiting for the announcer, while Morag was relishing the prospect, happy to see her team's gamble pay off.

Before long, however, the announcer began to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your engines!"

Schroeder did so, as did everyone else. The cars paraded around behind the pace car for the formation lap, struggling to keep the tyres warm on the cold wet surface. The announcer began to speak further.

"As the cars wriggle and struggle their way around this treacherous course, the drivers will face 31 gruelling laps. Will Schroeder dominate from the front? Or will we see a surprise winner from further behind? We will soon find out, as the pace car pulls into the pits, and the Florida Spindycar Supertour Open is Go!"

Schroeder made a good start, pulling away, along with Pig Pen and Charlie Brown, from the cars further behind, as they all struggled for grip approaching the first corner. Given that it was wet, cars going off would be an inevitability, and sure enough, José was the first to be caught out, hitting a puddle and running wide on the first corner, losing about 4 positions. The drama didn't stop there either, as at turn 10, Lucy spun off and fell to the back as she rejoined. On lap 2 Morag made a pass on Franklin under braking for turn 2, and was quickly let through by her team mate at the hairpin at turn 7.

Further ahead, Thibault passed Pierre on the approach to the final turn, getting past his teammate when he went wide, lacking in grip, and losing 3 positions. The following lap, Frieda got past Five at turn 5, while Rerun took advantage of Shermy's cautious driving and overtook him as they accelerated away from the hairpin at turn 7. Morag scythed past Pierre on the approach to turn 15, with Harold Angel mugging both of them at the last corner using a much better line.

By the end of lap 5, Linus had also made his way past Shermy, and Violette had run wide at turn 15, giving away 2 positions. On lap 6, Lucy had been stuck behind the rooster tails of Patty Swanson's car for several laps, and by this point, water was now getting into her engine, which flooded the electrics and caused her car to break down, forcing her to park it off track, away from danger. Two laps later, Shermy also fell victim to the conditions, spinning as he touched a kerb on the hairpin, and had to wait until there was a gap before re-joining in 20th place.

On lap 9, Rerun muscled his way past Five, under braking for turn 10, before both Linus and Marcie passed him too as his car twitched and forced him wide at the final turn.

At the front, Peppermint Patty made an attempt to pass Charlie Brown at the hairpin during lap 11, but out-braked herself and went onto what was now the wet, muddy grass. Peppermint Patty almost got her car beached, but kept it going, although she was now in 9th place.

José then had another spin on lap 12, under braking for turn 10, clattering into the back of Eudora as he did so, sending both of them out of the race. The pace car was brought out, but on lap 15, the race was underway again. Cormac spun on what were now cold tyres, on the exit of turn 13, losing about 5 positions, before re-joining in 18th place.

On lap 16, Violet aquaplaned off the circuit at turn 13, sliding with a thud into the barriers. The car was too damaged to continue, but Violet was thankfully okay, getting out without any difficulty. The pace car was brought out again, and on lap 19, the race resumed. Schroeder began to pull away from the field again, but Frieda manage to get past Charlie Brown into turn 1, pushing him back down to 4th.

Morag forced her way past Thibault on lap 20, while a lap later, Violette spun at turn 5, coming to a halt right next to the Marshal's post. The marshals pulled the car away within the lap, so the pace car didn't need to be called. At the end of lap 22, Morag had finally gotten into the points, passing Sally with ease on run down to turn 10, before Thibault did the same on the run up to turn 16.

On lap 25, Rerun eventually lost his concentration and had a spin at turn 15, but eventually recovered, dropping down to 13th in the process. Morag passed Five on the following lap into turn 1, and then passed Peppermint Patty in the same place a lap afterwards. Sally then fared a spin of her own on lap 29, dropping to 16th.

Marcie struggled to keep the car straight as her tyres struggle for grip on the final lap, losing a place to Morag coming out of the last corner, as the drivers ahead crossed the finish line.

"And Schroeder wins in Florida, with a 2 second gap to Pig Pen, followed closely by Frieda in 3rd! Charlie Brown is 4th, with Linus 5th, Morag a brilliant 6th from the back of the grid, Marcie 7th, Peppermint Patty 8th, Five in 9th, and Thibault rounding out the top ten! Harold Angel was 11th, with Rerun 12th, Shermy 13th, Pierre 14th, Cormac 15th, Sally 16th, Jo Agate in 17th, Franklin in 18th, and Patty Swanson 19th. Violette, Violet, Eudora, José Peterson and Lucy all failed to finish."

After the race, the championship standings are as follows…

1st Schroeder E. Schroeder [Bonn] 168pts 2nd Morag McMurdo [Isdera] 167pts

3rd Charlie Brown [Renault] 167pts 4th Linus Van Pelt [Vittoria] 165pts

5th Marcie Johnson [Cherokee] 158pts 6th Patricia Reichardt [Honda] 137pts

7th Frieda Rich [Bonn] 134pts 8th Pig Pen [Armstrong] 122pts

9th Rerun Van Pelt [Renault] 91pts 10th Patty Swanson [ACE] 75pts

11th Franklin Armstrong [Armstrong] 68pts 12th Eudora Elm [Polestar] 67pts

13th Lucy Van Pelt [Honda] 66pts 14th Harold Angel [Isdera] 63pts

15th Sally Brown [Polestar] 61pts 16th José Peterson [Daihatsu] 52pts

17th Pierre Fermier [Vittoria] 41pts 18th Thibault Rhodes [Sky] 24pts

19th Violet Gray [Zontec] 22pts 20th Violette Honfleur [ACE] 15pts

21st Joe Agate [Sky] 15pts 22nd Shermy Plepler [Zontec] 13pts

23rd Roy Tripps [Zontec] 8pts 24th Cormac O'Connor [Daihatsu] 8pts

25th Mimi Sonatelli [Armstrong/Sky] 6pts 26th 555 95472 [Cherokee] 6pts

Schroeder parked his car and raised his arms aloft, happy, and quite relieved the race was over. Pig Pen and Frieda were more outward, running over to celebrate with their mechanics at a great result, before they all headed up the stairs.

In the waiting room, the three of them congratulated each other on a great race, while Schroeder tried to ruffle the beads of sweat in his hair with a towel, not caring that his hands were red and sore from trying to keep the car on the circuit in such tough conditions. Once they were ready, they headed out onto the podium.

The rain had stopped by now, which was a relief, as the three of the stood still and waited while the American national anthem played, and the three American flags were raised. The German anthem played after the American one finished. The drivers received their trophies, drank their milk, and celebrated in front of the doggedly determined fans who braved the weather to come see their favourite drivers battle it out, before heading into the Pressroom, where the interviewers had some questions.

I: Schroeder, great win, your third win of the season, which as a result, means you are leading the championship standings. How do you feel right now?

Schroeder: Well, I'm happy, but mostly relieved. It was quite scary out there, with so many places to lose control, and it was very difficult to fight the steering in the conditions. See, look at my hands (He shows the interviewer his hands, which looked red and sore)

I: I see. And Pig Pen, was is a tough race for you also?

Pig Pen: Definitely, but the result was worth it, I may not be in the main championship fight, but I'm definitely not out of the running.

I: Frieda, you battled hard in that race to move up from 7th, how was it out there?

Frieda: Well it was clearly very difficult, a lot of people in front of me went off and Charlie Brown was the only one who actually made it difficult for me to pass, but it was a hard earned result.

I: Thank you.

Former Championship leader Morag was also interviewed, down in the paddock.

I: Morag, stunning race from the back of the grid, it felt like you really needed this result. Any feelings on you position in the championship?

Morag: Not really, that was exhausting. I'm glad I'm only one point behind, though. I look forward to seeing what we can do next race.

I: Thank you.

The drivers went to bed late that night, as their mechanics all packed their gear away, ready to move on, before they too went to bed.


End file.
